Breaking Down the Gate
by Eloquent Nocturne
Summary: When Envy forces Ed to do Alchemy, he and his brother are pulled though the gate and tossed into the HP world. Now, Ed has made a deal with Dumbledore in an effort to get themselves back to their home world, but at what cost? R
1. One Way Trip to England?

**Author note: **_I don't think that putting too much detail in the part where Ed and Al get dumped off into HP land is very important...so, I've just included the basics..._

_Also...this will be following Brotherhood's plot, sort of, so if you don't know who "Father" is, then I suggest either watching brotherhood or doing a quick wiki search, otherwise you may get just a weee bit lost. But, worry not, it shouldn't be hard to catch on to._

_Lastly, I'm co writing this with Silhouette Eclipse. Why? Because, she's awesome. End of story. So, some chapters will be by me, others by her, though some may be a bit of a mesh. We will try to update as much as possible...though nothing is ever guaranteed because stuff happens. We will try to do like a two week max wait time...if we get to that deadline and don't have much written up, well then we will just post what we have and hope that our readers will not come after us with blazing pitchforks._

_If anything confuses you, just let one of us know and we will gladly explain it. If we can't, then we will quickly make up a slightly believable story and hope no one rats us out...sooo..._

_Here you are. 5th year of Harry Potter :) Enjoy (:_

* * *

It was official, Envy had finally lost it. He had collapsed into his own world of hatred and nothing else could ration with that thick, jealous mind of his.

"That's it! Fullmetal pipsqueak, you're dead!" Envy yelled, outraged. For him, this was the last straw. He had put up Father's plans and only toyed with the shrimp, allowing him to live...but now, he'd had enough and couldn't care less about Father or the others. He would take Ed out, even if it meant following after him. There was no turning back.

Envy lunged towards Ed, who quickly transmuted his right arm into his trademarked sword, and blocked off the attack, though not without being pushed back several feet.

Ed panicked. Before, he knew the crazed homunculus wouldn't kill him, yet now, it seemed he had a whole different mind set. He had to get out; he had to at least get Al away.

"Brother!" Al called, worried at how different Envy seemed. Never had he witnessed him fight so aggressively, especially towards his brother. Envy kept coming at Ed with attacks that could rival even Teacher's. At this rate, Ed was going to loose. A few more seconds and at least a dozen more punches and kicks were thrown at his brother. Unable to just stand there and watched idly as his brother's life was put in more danger, Al started racing towards the battle.

"Stay out of it, Al!" Ed yelled, causing his younger brother to stop mere feet away. The fight was getting out of hand, at this point it seemed Envy would go straight for Al's blood seal should he get in the way.

"But, Brother!" Al argued, getting turned down once again while offering his help. He hated it, hated that his older brother always took everything upon himself. Al could have murdered someone and still, his brother would find some way to take all of the blame.

"I said stay out of it!" Ed screamed, outraged at the mess he'd gotten themselves into. He'd learned from Mustang the secret to killing the Homunculus, he just had to figure out a way to do it himself. If he could do enough damage...then his philosophers stone would shatter. Maybe if he tried scar's technique again...if he could deconstruct Envy's anatomy and get to the stone...

Ed clapped his hands together, but Envy saw what he was trying to before he got the chance to complete the reaction. "Too slow, _shrimp_." Envy teased and grabbed Ed's hands before he could finish the deconstructive transmutation. Ed could only stand there, in complete shock, as Envy combined his own energy from the stone with Ed's incomplete alchemy. "See you on the other side!" Envy yelled and somehow caused Ed to complete another form of alchemy against his will.

"Dammit!" Ed said, panicked and unsure of what the heck was going on, though he was sure he wouldn't like the outcome.

"Brother!" Al yelled, confused at what was happening between Ed and Envy. Ignoring his brother's warning, Al followed his senses and ran towards the two, only to be blinded by an intense, white and blue, lightning filled light.

* * *

When Ed was somewhat conscious, he had the eerie remains of a recent conversation replaying itself in his head.

_Edward, I see you've brought a philosopher's stone with you this time._

_Where's Al?_

_On the other side. I suppose you want to join him?_

_Dammit, where is he? Truth! Bring me back to my brother! Bring us back to Amestris._

_Can't do that, it's a one way trip...unless you open the gate again._

_What? I didn't ask for this! Open the gate, you..._

Still trapped within his own mind, he tried to figure out where the conversation had come from..._the conversation_...something was missing...but what? A few words? Whole sentences?

Ed heard footsteps and his eyes snapped open, but were quickly squinted to lessen the amount of harsh light that was blinding him. Once his eyes adjusted, he looked over his surroundings. From what he could tell, he was sitting in a hospital cot, but there were no doctors or nurses in sight. Had they just left?

Ed looked down to see that he was dressed differently, and the covers he assumed he once used were crumbled near his feet. A wave of nausea overtook him and he shut his eyes, trying to get rid of the all to familiar feeling.

_I'll see you soon, Edward. This should be interesting. _A strange, yet familiar voice echoed through his thoughts, and just as it dissappeard, so did the nausea. Another set of footsteps were heard and Ed jumped out of the cot, looking for a place he could hide should someone enter. When they passed he took a deep breath.

He wasn't thinking things through, he was running on survival mode. Acting on instinct.

He looked on the table next to the cot he was just on and saw that all of his belongings were piled in a small heap. He grabbed them and changed quickly, keeping his ears strained for any noise that would indicate someone entering the room he was in. Once he was in his old garments he ditched the hospital wear and left it on the floor before bolting for the nearest door. He had to find Al.

When Ed exited the large doors that led from the Hospital, he was awed by the sheer size of the giant corridor he was now faced with. "Where am I?"

As more foot steps were heard, Ed thought it best to run in the opposite direction, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. "Al?" he whispered every now and then, trying to be as soft as he could to avoid being heard by anyone but Al, _if_ he was even here.

Ed continued through the maze of corridors, hiding in various places when footsteps drew uncomfortably close. He noted while they past that most were teens and middle-aged adults, dressed oddly in robes and long suits. He wondered vaguely if it was close to Halloween. Once the footsteps past he bolted off again, trying to get as far away from where the he thought most people gathered as he could, eventually finding himself in a corridor that would probably give him the most luck in finding Al, one that was full of armored suits... Unfortunately, many of those suits were overcast by impossibly dark shadows, making it more than difficult to make out the various features. Figuring he had to start somewhere, Ed walked over to a random suit of armor and whispered, "Al?"

Nothing.

His soft voice echoed for a moment before completely being muted out by the extreme quiet of the corridor. Frustrated, he tried again, only to get the same results. Once the quiet settled he moved on, walking over to random suits that appeared to be about the same size as Al, only to get back negative results. He whispered his name, again and again, but only to receive an answer of that same eerie quiet.

Finally having enough, Ed walked over to a spot in the wall that had enough cleared space for him to rest against without getting poked by one of the corridors many strange suits of armor.

_Though not one of the damn suits are Al! _Ed though furiously to himself as he sighed and sat on the cold, stone floor and rested his back up against the equally hard wall. Welcoming the darkness that came when he shut his eyes, he relaxed, planning at least to regain some of the energy he wasted checking these ridiculous suits of armor. His sigh muted out and there was a long moment of silence.

"...Brother?" A familiar voice asked, surprising the Fullmetal Alchemist enough to cause quite an interesting reaction. The teen bolted upright, looking as if he'd just been struck by a thousand volts of electricity, and turned to the direction of where the voice had come from. There, just across the corridor, was his brother.

"Dammit, Al." The teen nearly yelled, still recovering from the startle. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down his racing heart. "What the hell was that for? You couldn't answer when I was searching for you earlier?" Ed asked, being consumed by his temper.

"Sorry, Brother." Al said nervously, gesturing his hands soothingly to try to calm down his older brother. "I just woke up."

Those words made Ed snap out of tantrum. "Just woke up? Al, you can't sleep," Ed contradicted, confused as to what Al meant.

"I know," Al replied. "I got knocked unconscious when we went through the gate...where are we?"

Ed ignored Al's question, only able to focus on one thing that his brother said. "The gate...?" Ed asked, before realization hit him like a good ton of dense bricks. It only took a moment before Ed's mind had caught up to the situation and he'd exploded _again_, "Envy, that bastard! He forced me use alchemy and sent us through the gate! He better hope he's dead, because if he's not, when I get my hands on that wannabe homunculi-" Ed''s rant was cut short by his brother and the distant sound of approaching footsteps.

"Brother, calm down. Someones coming!" Al whispered urgently and opened up his armor while motioning for his brother to climb in. Once Ed was inside, Al went to stand by the wall, just as motionless as the other statues. As the footsteps drew near, a hushed conversation could be heard and the dark silhouettes of an old man and women could be made out.

"...Albus. Do you have any idea of where the boy may have wondered off to?" The woman asked, the worry was easily detectable in her tone.

"I'll assume he won't be far. Poppy was just in the room moments before he was discovered missing," There was a pause before he continued, "We shouldn't worry, he won't be able to leave the grounds, and I don't sense that he means any harm to our students or staff."

"Brother, should we talk-" Al started, but was shushed by Ed.

The older woman looked to Albus, her trained hearing picking up the faint sound of a voice. She said nothing on the matter until she was around where the voice had come from.

The woman stood firmly in front of large suit of armor that she assumed had someone hiding inside of it and pulled out a thin, yet sturdy piece of wood. "You should come out, we know you are here." The woman said sternly, noting that at this late hour it could only be a student out of bed or the runaway boy they had found laying unconscious earlier.

There was no answer and the woman stepped forward, leaning in to inspect the armor when a voice, slightly different than the one she heard earlier, called out, "Run for it, Al!"

Much to the woman's surprise, the suit of armor sprang to life and started off down the hall. Instead of chasing after the thing, she muttered a quick spell, "_Wingardium Leviosa._" At the woman's words the suit of armor came to a stop and lifted abruptly into the air. As the woman followed Albus to inspect the suit, she was startled when the lower hatch bursted open loudly and a small boy with golden hair came tumbling out.

Dazed from the fall and utterly confused, Ed struggled to get to his feet. "Brother!" Al called as he struggled to get back on the ground, but was having no luck with over powering the spell.

"_Oh, my_. Albus, is that the boy? Is there another in the suit?" The woman asked, and couldn't help herself from wondering about the strange suit of armor.

"Minerva, I do believe so. As for the suit, it is most peculiar." The old wizard stated, his cloudy blue eyes shining under his half-moon spectacles. "Most peculiar, indeed."

* * *

**So, that's it for now. The more reviews we get, the more motivated we will be to get out another chapter sooner. After all, if no one is reading, why should we be in any hurry? Hehe, just kidding, sort of. Reviews ****_are _****great though and truthfully make our day. But, regardless, we will try to put out a chapter as soon as we can.**


	2. Magic

**AUTHOR NOTE:** Hey, just wanna clear up a few VERY IMPORTANT things before I continue with this chapter. (it's still written by me, the next you can expect to finally hear from Kura!)

First, there was a review that bugged me. Not because it was negative/constructive criticism, but because I didn't think it was a very well educated comment. If you are going to comment on the writing or the plot, by all means, go ahead. It's how writers get better, but if it if concerns "major plot holes" I ask that you at least read the next few chapters before assuming anything, as things would probably be better explained. I sincerely hope that to the unknown reviewer, that this chapter clears things up for you and gives you a better reading experience. I would really appreciate it, though, if a little more of the fic is read before large assumptions are made.

So, I assure you, unknown reviewer, that Ed and Al most definitely **did not **just magically know everything. (: That would be too easy.

Oh, and both me and Kura..so long as she agrees hehe..will try to answer all reviews/questions/comments ect. as best as we can, though if we leave out your comment or question, I apologize in advance for both of us are more than just a little forgetful.

Also, there is a part where Dumbledore uses his memory Pensieve, and sense I am unsure how _exactly _it works, I'm kind of bending how I know it works, just a little to help with the story. It is a merging of two very different concepts, sort of. Lol.

Secondly, when I write in normal P.O.V. - though it might be more of a mix between normal and first person - erm...how do I word this... Well, the writing style and mood seem to take favor to whoever the subject current is. Almost like First person, to where you can kind of get a better feel on the characters emotions and thoughts, but not so much that everything is revealed either way.

For an example, I'll refer to the wand as a 'stick' when talking about how Ed is seeing things, to kind of get a view of how he sees things without going totally into first person mode. This way, things will hopefully be more exciting for the readers. Make sense? I sure hope so, lol...anyway...on with the fic!

Oh, almost forgot...Every now and then, there may be a random character P.O.V., just to switch things up a bit...you get to take a bit of a look into Harry's mind in this chapter :)

And I really hope this isn't too confusing, it makes sense in my head, I just hope I get the words out right... All these explanations... *sigh* Don't worry, it's almost over.

* * *

"P-put my brother down!" Ed finally managed to stutter once he had a strong enough hold on the situation. He stared at the suit of armor that was now floating above him and tried to figure out just what the heck was going on. What he was seeing was going against everything he knew, everything he thought to be laws set in stone and couldn't possibly be alchemy. But, if it wasn't alchemy, then what was it?

"Your...brother?" The woman known as Minerva asked, trying to see how two bodies could fit in that one suit of armor and still make it move properly. "He's in the suit?"

"Uhhhh..." Ed began, but wasn't sure what he should tell the woman. He didn't know where he was, whether it was another country or another world...and he certainly didn't know what would be considered 'normal' around here. Overall, all he was getting from this was a headache.

Al, trying to direct the attention away from his condition asked politely, "Um, Ma'am? Could you please put me down?" The woman holding the stick nodded and hesitantly released the spell, landing the armor gently on the ground, though still held it at the ready should they take off again.

"I apologize." Minerva said, though her tone was still strict, "But I couldn't have you running the halls like enraged animals. This is a school, and there are multiple rules against it...which also apply to.._unexpected visitors_."

The brothers just stood there for a moment, trying to take in all that the old woman had told them. "A school?" Ed questioned, taking the moment to get another good look at the room they were in. "This giant maze of a building is a school?" he added, just not able to wrap his mind around it.

"Doesn't this place seem kind of dangerous, though, to be a school?" Al asked, noticing how they were in fact in a room full of large suits or armor holding sharp, unsheathed weapons.

Albus chuckled, "Surely, with the way the world is today you shouldn't be surprised." Then, at the blank looks he was receiving from the boys he added, "It is safe to say that the world outside is even more dangerous...no?"

Ed looked uncomfortable, what kind of place had they landed themselves into? "What...do you mean?"

Albus looked from the boys to the equally confused professor on side of him. With another chuckle, this one seeming more amused than the last, he said, "How about we compromise. If you will accompany me to my office and explain to me why you are wondering the halls without someone's expressed permission to be here, I will explain to you exactly what I am referring to. I think it only fair, seeing that you two seem to have no idea what's going on." The old man finished his sentence with a kind smile, only making the boys wonder whether he was senile or had handled things such as this many times in the past.

Figuring they had no other option, the boys nodded and began following after the old man. Ed, just seeming to notice what the two were wearing, piled their attire in the growing list of all that was strange around here. They were wearing what looked like cotton or silk robes, the old man in a light blue and the woman in black. The woman was also wearing a pointed hat, though it folded over once it raised itself a few inches into the air. The man was the opposite, wearing his long, silver hair combed straight with a beard that could rival the length of his hair.

* * *

Harry's P.O.V.

* * *

I couldn't help it, curiosity and an invisibility cloak just didn't make for a very obedient combination. And after I heard Professor McGonagall talking with the portrait of the Fat Lady about a boy being found unconscious in the hall, I just had to cut my trip to the kitchens short and follow her as she met up with Dumbledore, knowing this was a once in a life time situation.

I kept my step quiet as I walked a safe distance behind them, not knowing exactly where she was leading me. She and Dumbledore were keeping their conversations hushed, and I could only catch a few words. From what I could make out, the boy ran from the hospital wing and was now somewhere roaming the halls.

I was more than surprised when we stumbled across the boy and he took off in a suit of armor. And I could say I was no less than baffled when he came tumbling out of it, though it still appeared that someone else was inside, someone who was assumed to be the boy's brother.

The conversations between the boys and Professor revealed that the one who was still in the suit was named Al, though no one had spoken the name of the golden haired boy with matching eyes. _Golden eyes, an odd sight._

I stayed hidden while they exchanged words, and grew even more curious when Dumbledore seemed to be talking in Riddles, using hints of inside information that only few would understand. I could understand what he meant, but those in denial of Voldemort's return would be left without words on the matter. Or muggles, unless they referred to the wars and the crazies out there today.

Was that his intention?

When Al and his brother decided to take Dumbledore's offer and return with him to office, I knew my little journey may be coming to an end. There was only one way into Dumbledore's office, and there was little to no chance of me sneaking in, even with the invisibility cloak. I followed the four until Dumbledore dismissed Professor McGonagall and told her that he would her get rest for her morning classes and fill her in rather than her accompanying him to the meeting. She agreed, though she seemed unwilling at first, and headed off towards her room. Dumbledore stood there for a while until the professor had rounded the corner and then locked his cloudy, blue eyes with mine, signaling that he knew I was here. My blood froze in my veins, in fear of being caught, but were relieved when he said nothing.

I decided to chance my luck and continue following them, but it wasn't long until the group stopped again near the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore turned in my direction once more.

"Alright, Harry. It's safe to come out now," Dumbledore said and I sighed. I knew he'd somehow known I was there.

The boys with him seemed curious as to who Dumbledore was talking to, so I made sure not to take off the cloak to close them, not wanting to scare anyone. I stepped to the side and took it off gently, taking in the golden hair boy's expression as his eyes widened to the size of tea saucers.

* * *

Normal pov

* * *

If Al had eyes, they would be bulging through his armor, mirroring his brother's. The Elric's steeped back from the strange newcomer with untidy, black hair and bright green eyes hiding under round spectacles. Instinctively, Ed clapped his hands together and transmuted his automail into a sharp, short sword, ripping through the glove he'd forgotten to take off, though now realizing that he had no memory of ever changing it back during the battle with Envy.

_What's going on? _Ed thought, as he took in the stranger's frightened appearance. Harry drew his wand and Ed immediately gained a facial expression that was caught between confused and ticked off. He lowered his arm and asked, "Okay, I don't get it, what's with the stick?"

Harry, realizing at that moment that the boy might be some kind of muggle, immediately lowered his wand and asked a question of his own, "Why don't you tell me what's up with your arm?"

Dumbledore, remaining calm through the situation, intervened and cut their conversation short, "Or how about we save this conversation for later, when we are not in the halls." Harry nodded and waited for the headmaster to open up the passage that lead to his office. "Oh, and Mr..."

"Edward Elric," Ed said, thinking that revealing his name was harmless enough. He looked to Al and then pointed his thumb in his direction, "And that's my brother, Alphonse."

"Thank you, Mr. Elric." Dumbledore replied. "Now, would you mind...?" He asked, gazing at the sword that was still protruding from the boys steel arm. Ed, just noticing what he meant, looked a little embarrassed and nodded. With another clap he transmuted the sword away and turned it back into it's normal style.

"Brother, would you like me to fix your glove?" Al asked, already leaning over the scraps on the floor.

"That would be great, Al." Ed said and waited as his brother clapped his own hands and held them over the gloves. A few seconds and a show of sparks later and it was brand new. Ed bent down to grab it, ignoring the looks he was getting from Harry, which changed between awe and confusions, then a bit of jealousy. "Perfect fit, Thanks."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and motioned towards the passage that was beginning to open. They stepped through, the Elric's admiring the process in awe, and followed Dumbledore and the other boy up the stairs. Once they arrived in his office, the Elric's were left speechless. On the walls hung portraits of what appeared to be sleeping men and woman, all dressed in similar robes. On a perch was a strange looking bird, bright red in color, who cooed as it met eyes with Dumbledore.

"Please, take a seat." Dumbledore requested as he took his own behind his desk, which was cluttered with various documents, books, and artifacts. "Now, why don't you tell me what exactly happened to you two."

Ed looked nervous, not sure exactly what he could tell the old man. He didn't know who he was connected to, or what would happen if he let the wrong information out. So, he thought it safest to answer his question with another question. "Don't take this offensively, but how do I know if I can trust you? I'd feel better if I knew where I was."

Harry remained silent, thinking the same thing as Ed, though from his own point of view. He didn't like any information from them getting out into the wrong hands, and he didn't know where he stood.

"Understandable. How about we just start with the basics for now. Do you know how you ended up unconscious in our school? Or rather, how you got here in the first place?" Dumbledore replied. Ed frowned, again not sure how the heck he was supposed to answer this. He knew the answer...sort of. He knew he was pushed through the gate...though he wasn't exactly sure _how_ he knew it. He had no memory of the event, making it felt like a form of amnesia. Something from that conversation with Truth was missing, and though he could only remember parts of it, the knowledge was still carved permanently into his mind.

"I might know if I knew where _here _was." Ed replied stubbornly. Dumbledore nodded understandably.

"You are currently in the Headmaster's office – my office – of Hogwarts, a school dedicated in the teachings of witchcraft and wizardry, in-"

"_What?_ " Ed asked, interrupting the 'Headmaster'. Ed's temper was rising, did they think that just because they pranced around in long robes that he would fall for something so ridiculous. "Hold on, you expect me to believe that this is a _school for magic?" _Ed challenged.

Harry's brow furrowed, "It's true! How else would Professor McGonagall be able to levitate your brother into the air?" At this, Ed remained quiet, there just had to be another plausible explanation.

Magic? It was impossible. The closest thing there was to magic was Alchemy, and it was strictly a science based on laws that actually made sense.

"Edward, what will it take to convince you that magic does exist?" Dumbledore asked, showing the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes. The old wizard thought, for once, that he would be able to have a bit of fun.

Ed thought for a moment before replying. "I don't know what exactly that woman did back there to Al, but it couldn't be magic." Ed began, getting another disapproving look from Harry. "However, if you insist that this so called _magic _does exist, then I suppose another legit demonstration will do."

Dumbledore nodded and then stood up, pulling out his wand in the process. "This, Mr. Elric," Dumbledore began while he held out the piece of finely crafted wood carefully, so that the boy could get a good look. "...is my wand. With it, I can preform different spells, ranging from simple levitations to complex jinxes, so long as I have the right incantation. For example..." Dumbledore trailed off, noticing the look of pure disbelief that was set firmly on the boys face. "..._Accio, 'Hogwarts: A History'." _Just as Dumbledore finished the spell, a book slid out from under another and sailed smoothly into the old Headmaster's hand.

The look of shock on Ed's face was priceless. Al, on the other hand, seemed to be beaming with excitement.

"Now, you may want to keep this." Dumbledore finished and used another spell to transfer the book from himself to Ed, who looked almost afraid to touch it. He took it carefully, ready to drop it at a moment's notice, thinking, _If that thing burst into fire or whacks me in the head..._

For about another half hour, Dumbledore continued with various demonstrations, enough so even to convince the Fullmetal Alchemist that a force such as magic existed.

"Brother, I think I believe him." Al said, finally convinced himself, completely awe struck.

"Yeah, Al. I guess I'm with you on that...not much of a choice." Ed said as he took a closer look at Harry's wand, though the young wizard was a little unwilling to hand it over. "But what I don't understand is how it's possible..." Ed trailed off as he handed the wand back to Harry. "...I mean, I'm use to whole different principles. Where I come from, you have to give up something of equal or greater value in order to gain anything in return...Here, you just wave around a _stick_."

"Where exactly _do _you come from?" Harry interjected, finally tired of talking about magic. He was ready to get answers of his own. "Because what you did earlier didn't look a whole lot different from magic, save from the blue sparks and lack of a wand."

"That?" Al asked, almost shocked that a world of magic wouldn't recognize it.

"It's alchemy," The brothers said in unison, gaining a peculiar look from Dumbledore.

"Alchemy? Such as the art of creating gold from lead?" Dumbledore asked, making sure he understood the boys right. Dumbledore, having done work with Nicholas Flamel, had extensive knowledge on alchemy, but he had never before seen it used in the same way that the Elric brothers had preformed.

"Yeah, though back home it's illegal." Ed replied, smirking as he caught a glimpse of an old memory dealing with a certain mining town and over possessive land lord.

"You come from another country then, I presume?" Dumbledore asked and then rested his head on his palms.

"Sort of..." Ed replied, looking at Al for help. He didn't know what to tell the old man, heck, he wasn't sure what to tell himself. All he knew was that something in the back of his mind was telling him that he wasn't in Amestris anymore, the bit's of the conversation with Truth that he actually remembered proved that. But, why did he have that eerie feeling still haunting him? He was forced through the gate, that he was sure, but where he ended up was a whole other story. Would they think he was crazy, turn him in to the government? Ed still couldn't even be sure that they were trust worthy or not. He knew absolutely nothing about the old man, yet he was expecting him to spill everything about his life.

Ed remembered that when failed the human transmutation, he passed through a gate and found Truth. Now, going back through, did Truth send him someplace else?

_Why can't I remember that damn conversation?_ Ed thought angrily to himself as he pondered the question in his mind, forgetting that several eyes were on him.

"Well.."All began, covering for his brother, who seemed deep in thought. "We come from Amestris, though I doubt you will know where that is...It's kind of like here." Al tried, though he didn't know that for sure, just what he had observed today, having just as much trouble with it as his brother. "Though instead of alchemy, you use magic and I haven't seen any...BROTHER!" Al said suddenly, causing the short blond brother to jump a good few feet in the air.

"What the hell, Al?" Ed asked, seeming to forget the others in the room.

"Envy! What happened to him! Is he here too? Do you think he pa-" Al was panicking, not wanting to see Ed fight the crazed homunculus again, but Ed cut him off.

"Relax Al, I _think _Truth took care of him..." Ed said, remembering how Truth said something about a Philosopher's stone. Ed leaned back in the plush chair he was sitting in and sighed, closing his eyes in concentration, forgetting all the others in the room for a moment so he could think.

_I need to get those memories back..._Ed thought as he searched the deepest corners of his mind, trying to bring up the memory. He hoped that it wouldn't be like when Al first came back, having no relocation of the Gate what-so-ever until that day Greed's chimera was killed...and her blood splashed against his own blood seal. _Think...Ed, think.._ Ed continued repeating to himself in his thoughts.

"Brother?" Al asked, but he was shushed by his brother.

"Hold on, Al. I'm trying to remember something..." Ed explained, still deep in both thought and conversation. Dumbledore cleared his throat and Ed's eyes snapped open, though he was slightly annoyed that the old man had pulled him from his thoughts.

"I think I may have just the thing you need, if it's a memory you are trying to receive." Dumbledore inquired and then ushered the three youths over to his Pensieve, where a vast collection of memories were stored in near perfect clarity. "This is a Pensieve. With my magic I can take any memory and put it into here for your viewing." He explained, and then with a lighthearted chuckle, he added, "I have to admit it has helped me numerous times, especially with my old age."

"How does it work?" Ed asked, curious as how a fountain like object full of what seemed like water could help him.

"Just think up as much of the memory as you can and concentrate on it; I will take care of the rest," Dumbledore said as he took out his wand and waved it near Ed's head, beginning to draw the memory out of him, until something unexpected happened.

For a moment everything was going smoothly, until Ed began to feel a sharp pain stabbing inside his head. He threw his hands up to clutch his head, as if it would make the pain stop. "What...the..hell old man?" Ed asked through gritted teeth as pain was quickly increasing. Then, as the pain reached it's peak, Ed crumpled to the floor. Unconcicous.

"Brother!" Al yelled, and went to help his brother, though he seemed to be out cold. "What happened?" he asked Dumbledore, worried and confused at the same time. Dumbledore, though his face remained calm, still held sighs of worry.

"I'm not all too sure. I've never heard of such a reaction being set off from using the Pensieve." Dumbledore said, speaking carefully as to not alarm the brother in the suit of armor. "Harry, go ahead of us and tell Poppy to prepare another cot. Tell her we found the boy," Dumbledore instructed calmly and then turned to Alphonse. "Can you carry him?" Al nodded and the two carefully made their way down the stairs, Al carrying Ed and Dumbledore following in step behind them until he had to lead the way to the hospital wing.

Meanwhile, Ed was having a very vivid dream.

* * *

_"**Edward, it's been too long. I see you've brought a philosopher's stone with you this time?**" _The mysterious, white being known as Truth called out, grinning the way he usually did when he spoke with Ed. Ed ignored Truth and took a look at his surroundings, not surprised that he was back in that same white space, looking at the enormous gat_e_ that stood tall in the distance, the one he thought he was getting a little to familiar with. _  
_

_"Where's Al?" _He asked immediately, not really caring about much else at the moment. He wasn't going to loose Al again_. _There was no reply at first, and Ed couldn't help but begin pacing, unsure of what was to come next. He didn't have a good feeling about this._  
_

_"**On the other side**," _Truth answered, purposely trying to confuse the alchemist. It wasn't that often the being got much company. Might as well enjoy it while it lasted. "_**I suppose you want to join him**?"_

_"The other side?"_ Ed asked, stopping in his tracks, not having the slightest idea of what Truth was talking about. _"The other side of what?"_

_"**The other side of the gate. Another part of the universe, I do believe.**" _Truth replied, seeming to enjoy this all to much.

_"What?" _Ed tried asking, desperate for an explanation. Nothing he was saying was making any sense. When Truth didn't answer, Ed exploded, "_Dammit, where is he?"_

_"**I already told you, Edward. He's on the other side, in a world connected to this one through the Gate.**" _Truth began again, growing impatient.

_"Truth! Don't toy with me! Bring me back to my brother and then bring us back to Amestris!" _Ed yelled, getting really frustrated._  
_

_"_**_Can't do that, it's a one way trip...unless you open the gate again from their world..._**_"_ Truth explained, seeming to trail off into his own thoughts._  
_

_"What?" _Ed questioned, beginning to understand what was happening. Whatever Envy did caused them to preform some kind of human alchemy...was it on himself? Is that where Ed got the philosopher's stone?

_"**Well now, Ed. It's time to join your brother. I've already talked with him. You are ready to pass through.**"_

_"I still don't understand why you are doing this. We didn't preform human transmutation!" _Ed said, just a new Gate was beginning to materialize, though it looked different from the one he was use to seeing. As it gained clarity, Ed could make out markings he'd never seen, and it appeared that it wasn't as grand as the other gate.

_"**Unfortunately, Edward, you did. But, since you have already paid your price once, I thought I'd mix it up a bit. You could think of it as a privilege, only few alchemist have stumbled their way to the other world. Only those I thought would have a good impact...**" _There was silence and then the new gate creaked open, revealing hands that matched those of the other gate. They lunged and wrapped themselves around Ed's body, slowly pulling him through.

All the while, Ed was fighting, not liking this one bit._ "__I didn't ask for this! Open the gate, you bastard!" _But, the hand_s _did not stop pulling him and before long the gate was slowing shutting, trapping Ed in void of darkness. _  
_

_"**I'll see you soon, Edward.**" _Came Truth's voice, echoing around the dark, empty space. _"**This should be interesting.**"_

_

* * *

_Ed's eyes slowly opened as the darkness evaporated from his mind, though he was left dazed. Once the edges of his vision cleared, he saw that both Al and Dumbledore were waiting by the cot he was laying on, along with a kind, but strict looking woman who appeared to be the nurse.

"Ah, you are awake. Good." The nurse said, before quickly adding, "No, no. Don't get up, you need to rest. Your body has just gone through a great deal of stress and needs to relax for a moment. Just lie down for a while, _don't get up._" As she finished, making sure her last words were clear, she went off to get something and left Ed alone with Al and Dumbledore.

"What happened?" Ed asked, rubbing his head tenderly. It ached like heck.

"We were hoping you could tell us," The Headmaster began. "I began removing the memory and then it appeared matters began going downhill from there." He explained, just as Ed remembered his dream

"So that's what that was..." Ed said thoughtfully. Then, more to himself, he added, "Makes a lot more sense now, that bastard, Truth."

"Care to explain?" Dumbledore asked, ignoring the young boy's potty mouth.

"Yea, I finally got that memory back..." Ed began, just as a thought dawned on him. "_Wait_. Al! You knew what happened the whole time and you didn't explain it to me?" Ed yelled, though his voice was strained. He felt like an idiot.

Al was silent for a moment before he realized what his brother was talking about. "What? How was I suppose to know you couldn't remember? It's not like we had much time to ourselves...besides, I thought you were trying to work your way around it. I didn't want to say anything an ruin it!" Al argued, before a very angered Madam Pomfrey came huridly into the room.

"I thought I told you to rest. You can't do that if you're arguing the night away. Here," She said, and thrust a cup full of strange liquid into Ed's hand. "Drink." Ed, thinking to refuse, thought twice when he met the nurse's gaze. It was unsettling, sharing the same characteristic's as Teacher's. A scary thought.

The second Ed finished with the mysterous liquid, he felt his eyes droop. Soon after, Ed was out.

"There," Madam Pomfrey said with a satisfied smirk on her face. "That ought to shut him up."

* * *

**Well, there you go...I'm a little later than I wanted to be, but at least it's up now. Anyyyway...**

**Poor Ed, he doesn't stand a chance .**

**Oh and before I forget: Disclaimer: I obviously don't own any of FMA or HP. So there. Now that that is outta the way...**

**Let me know what you think by hitting the "shiny" little review button at the bottom. What it's not shiny? Oh, well maybe that's just me...oh wellll...**


	3. Truth Unraveled Part I

**Author Note: **A quick thing..I'm not sure what the philosopher's stone in the HP world is made up of, though I'm sure it isn't like in FMA, so I just made something up. If you know, let me know, though it really isn't that important. Just character building. ;)

Also, I don't know exactly how old Ed and Al were when they attempted the human transmutation... Ed was either 10, almost 11, or 11. So, I'm just going to go with 11. If I am wrong, and you have proof, please let me know.

**Oh, and until further notice, all chapters will be written by me, because Silhouette Eclipse is swamped by her own fics. But, I don't mind, I love writing this anyway. She will still proof read and edit as she sees fit, so I guess like a super beta. A super awesome beta with super author powas. Haha.**

Lastly, this chapter may not be as interesting as the others coming up, but that's because I have to get all the explanations out the way, but I will try to make it intertaning. After this, **I promise**, things will really pick up. XD Bear with me, please. *Begs and bribes with cookies*

* * *

When Ed opened his eyes again, the harsh rays of light streaming through the large windows alerted him that it was around noon. He groaned, realizing that whatever the nurse gave him was something to make him sleep. As he sat up, he was relieved to see that only his brother was in the room and not that sadistic nurse.

"Brother, you're finally up." Al commented and made his way over to the cot Ed was still sitting on.

"Yeah, yeah." Ed replied and then yawned, stretching out his arms. At that moment, seeming to be summoned by their small conversation, the nurse came strolling though a small door on the side of the room, followed by Dumbledore.

Ed cringed slightly, the presense of that nurse still reminding him so much of Teacher; caring, but more than just a little strict.

"Glad to see that you are finally awake, Edward." Dumbledore said, a friendly smile matching his mood, though he seemed to be teasing the young boy.

Poppy smiled sheepishly and replied to the headmaster, "Sorry about that Albus, I gave him the normal dose for what I believed to be his age, though I didn't consider his height..."

In a silent fit, Ed twitched and his fist automatically clenched, his right hand grabbing onto the metal railing of the cot, leaving marks despite his desperate attempt to not loose his temper with the old lady. Al sighed quietly in the background.

More to herself than anything, Poppy added, "I wonder if I should give him some growth potion-"

At this Ed snapped, "_I'm not short!_ I don't need any stinking growth..._whatever_, I'm still growing!"

Dumbledore chuckled and chose to ignore Ed's little protest, instead he chose to get straight to business. "Thank you Poppy." He began and dismissed the nurse, who was still muttering about the ingredients she would need to make Ed just a few inches taller. Al glared at his brother, daring him to go after the nurse, knowing he could easily hold his brother back. "Now, I'm sure you are hungry, but before I can allow you or your brother out of here, we need to finish the conversation we were having last night. I'm sure you will understand that I can't allow strangers to converse with my students or staff and wonder the halls without first getting to know them a little better."

Ed thought over it for a moment, seeming that he didn't have much else of a choice. And, he had to admit, he was starving. He looked to Al, who seemed to agree, and decided to trust the old fart enough to earn some trust in return.

"Alright." Ed said, but then added, "But in return, I'll ask that you explain more about what is going on here." Dumbledore nodded, finding the deal perfectly agreeable. Soon, the two brothers launched into their explanation.

They started with what they could explain without going into too much detail of basic alchemy. Dumbledore was surprised at how much more could be accomplished than just the basics of turning lead to gold or the prospect of immortal life.

"You say that it is highly improvable, immortal life, but I have met someone who has achieved just that." Dumbledore explained, shocking the Elrics. "My dear friend, Nicholas, had achieved it, through use of the Philosopher's stone-"

"The Philosopher's stone? He has one?" Ed asked, before Dumbledore could finish his explanation, a mild look of disgust on his face. Had Dumbledore helped him make it? Wad that the kind of person he was? The kind that would sacrifice countless innocent lives in trade for their own selfish goals?

"_Had _one, yes. It was destroyed a few years ago when a certain dark wizard was going after it. Nicholas and his wife passed away shortly after." Dumbledore explained, his voice slightly saddened.

"Good riddance." Ed said, his voice like acid. Dumbledore's brow furrowed in confusion, a hint of anger. What had he said to make the boy react like that?

"You don't seem to bear good feelings towards the stone, nor Nicholas." Dumbledore commented. Ed nearly glared at the old man, his eyes intense.

"Do you know how how stones like that are made?" Ed questioned, the atmosphere around him suddenly growing dark. Dumbledore shrank back, though not a noticeable amount. He was surprised, despite the boy's young age, at the intensity and maturity showing in his eyes.

"Yes, Edward, I do." Dumbledore replied, still uncertain of what had the boy upset.

"And you're okay with that?" Ed questioned, his eyes becoming daggers. Dumbledore met Ed's gaze steadily, trying to understand him. Al occupied himself by staring at the floor, not wanting to think about the stone any more than Ed.

"I don't seem to know where you are going with this. Is magic and chemistry such a bad thing?" Dumbledore asked, stopping Ed's train of thought.

"Magic? What kind of chemistry..._what did he use_?" Ed question, demanding answers.

"From what I was told while he was still alive, he used a ruby and some very old magic." Dumbledore explained, which in turn calmed Ed down quite a bit. Ed signed and massaged his temples.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, though reluctant. "Where I'm from the process is much, _much _different and involves the loss and sacrifice of many human lives." Ed explained, though he was a little embarrassed. He learned a bit about the old man's character and sensed that he was telling the truth. "You can't blame me for not agreeing with it."

Dumbledore agreed, though in the back of his mind he couldn't help but imagine what these boys had gone though for them to know about such methods, much less react so strongly to even mentioning it. Just who were they?

They moved on from basic alchemy and started discussing about where they came from, but before they could go far into the conversation, Professor McGonagall walked into the room. The boys shushed immediately, though Dumbledore assured them that it was alright.

"I trust her, and she needs to know just as much as I do. You may continue." Dumbledore said as he motioned for McGonagall to take a seat next to them. She did so, but not without first eying the boys suspiciously and sending them both a stern glare.

"That's just about it." Al said. They had already discussed their basic home life, the country they came from, their parents, though, Dumbledore hadn't recognized any names.

"Unless you plan on getting into our personal life." Ed finished. "I don't mind, really, so long as you are just as open."

Dumbledore considered this, but only for a moment. He knew what he needed to do, though he wasn't as comfortable in doing so. The boys talked briefly about something they called, 'Equivalent Exchange'. The older brother, Edward, said that it applied to all aspects of their life, and it appeared as though he was referring to it even now. If that were the case, he may have to reveal more than what he was willing to these boys.

"I will be." Dumbledore said sincerely, and gave a quick, yet steady nod to the professor at his side, seeing her uneasiness at his decision. "Now, why don't you tell me about your arm."

Ed took of his coat and his black jacket, so that only his undershirt was left and gave a clear view of his automail. Once it was off, though calm, McGonagall stifled a concerned gasp. Dumbledore's trained expression did not change, though in his eyes you could catch a glimpse of curiosity. "It's automail." Ed explained, and then continued, "There was a bit of an...accident when I was younger. My left leg is the same." As he finished he had a thought...what would he do if it were to break? And then...what would Winry do to him if he broke it..._again. _With a sigh he quickly pushed that thought aside and focused more on the matter at hand.

Dumbledore leaned in and Ed allowed him to do a quick study, hoping that if it were too get to dinged up that the old wizard might be able to help. "Would that accident be something I'd be interested in?" Dumbledore asked as he straightened up.

"Brother..." Al began, "I think he _needs_ to know."

"Fine." Ed said, without much hesitation, knowing that he didn't have much of a choice as it was. He had a feeling that he would be stuck here for a while, and if that were going to be the case, he would need allies. And he knew that the fewer the secrets that there were between them, the easier it would be to work out what they were going to do and hopefully find a quick way back home. "When we were younger, our mother died, you know this much already."

"I'm sorry." McGonagall said, not knowing about the boy's loss, not having been present at the time they told Dumbledore. Neither of the Elric's responded, having been told that one to many times in the past.

"Well, we were young, and even though we knew much more than most, we were still foolish." Ed began.

"We thought we could bring her back, using Alchemy." Al stated, his voice low but honest. "Though that practice is illegal and considered a taboo for a reason." Those words surprised both the elders in the room, though mostly McGonagall, caught up by the word, '_illegal_', not fully understanding.

"It's illegal and you still preformed the alchemy?" McGonagall questioned, still not able to wrap her mind around it.

Ed stood up, feeling the need to pace. "I told you we were foolish, didn't I? We were young, and determined to bring her back, nothing else mattered."

Before anyone could get the wrong idea, Al added, "But, it's different now. We have accepted that it's impossible."

It was quiet for a moment, only the soft, yet slightly odd footsteps of Ed's pacing were heard. Then, after a few moment's he continued, before he could turn back. "We gathered all the ingredients of the average adult human body, added our own blood with our DNA to the mix and then went at it."

Al shifted, remembering what happened after that. "But, we didn't imagine how great a cost it would be to transmute a human soul, to bring Mom's back," Al finished for his brother, who had a pained expression on his face. Both the professors stayed quiet, wanted to get to the end of this tale, even though McGonagall was a little confused, having missed the basic explanation of Alchemy earlier.

"A gate appeared, the Gate of Truth I suppose you could say. It's what is responsible for sending both me and my brother here, though I don't really know how to describe it. It was summoned when we attempted the human transmutation and as payment it took my left leg...and...my," Edward explained, though now he was choking, the memories and guilt nearly overwhelming him at the moment. He was struck with reasoning that if he hadn't gone through with it, if he would have just let go, then just maybe neither him nor his brother would be caught up in this mess.

Seeing the trouble Ed was having, Al finished, though quietly, "My body." Both Dumbledore and McGonagall were in shock, how could what they say be true? They waited, stunned into complete silence.

Ed took a deep breath and continued, "In an attempt to save my brother I transmuted my right arm, sacrificing it for my brother's soul and then used a blood seal to attach it to that suit of armor, until I can get his body back." After, he sat heavily back on the cot and took another deep breath. "That's it."

Dumbledore was the first to speak and break the silence, McGonagall was still in shock, her eyes wide. "The blood seal. May I see it..." He asked, wondering if it could be anything like a Horcrux. (1)

"Al?" Ed asked, leaving the decision up to his younger brother. Al nodded and lifted his helmet, revealing his empty shell. McGonagall looked away, not wanting to see, and Dumbledore peered carefully inside, awed by the complexity of the design.

"How old were you when you did this?" Dumbledore asked, curious now at exactly how much these boys knew.

"I was eleven. Al was ten." Ed answered, now in a noticeably glum mood.

"So young?" McGonagall questioned, unable to sit in her chair any longer. She walked closer to the boys and just stood there for a moment, gazing down at them. In a softer voice she added, "You attempted something like this at such a young age, with limited years of knowledge and study, what were you thinking?" Ed's tough boy facade seemed to crack at that moment, the old woman's tone mirroring that of how his mother's would probably have been, if she were still alive. But, only for a moment, before it was quickly overruled by anger from how the woman seemed to think that only with age came knowledge.

"We knew the arrays, the circles that should have worked, the ones we spent years studying. The composition of the human body was accurate, it wasn't our knowledge that was lacking. It was our foolishness and the sheer fact that it is impossible to bring the dead back to life, at least through alchemy," he vented, surprising the professor once more. He knew more than he let off, mature beyond his years.

"I see. I am very sorry that things turned out this way for you two." Dumbledore said, trying to calm the teen down and then motioned for the professor to take her seat once more. "I can only imagine how complex something like that must have been and can only assume that you know a lot about this subject, alchemy. I am correct?"

"We spent years going though our father's notes, and then studied under a skilled alchemist for a while after that, so I'd say yes." Al answered. "More than most, especially at our age." Neither of the brothers added anything about their experience within the gate that first time, and the knowledge they gained from it.

"Perhaps then you can clear some things up for me then, though not now, in the near future I can only hope. It is nearly time for me to go. But first one last question. What is the significance of your watch?" Dumbledore asked, surprising Ed. He hadn't noticed, but while Dumbledore was observing his automail, he was also glancing at the strange design on his pocket watch. Ed glanced downwards, noticing that instead of being in his pocket, it was dangling loosely from his belt and must have slipped out some time before. "I noticed that it seemed to be welded shut, also?"

Ed cursed under his breath, this old man noticed more than he gave him credit for. With yet another sign, this one of defeat, he explained, "This pocket watch signifies and gives proof that I am a State Alchemist of the Amestris military. The Fullmetal Alchemist." He finished with a smirk, actually enjoying the looks of shock on their faces.

Mcgonagall seemed to be representing Dumbledore in ways he wasn't use to expressing, though her obvious shock. Dumbledore was more reserved. "The military? I find it hard to believe that the military would let a boy, what fifteen, sixteen years of age join...?" She said, though mostly as a question, not able to keep her thoughts to herself. "Far too young...at this age.." She muttered to herself.

"How old are you, Edward?" Dumbledore asked, his curiosity overriding his concern.

"Fifteen." He answered simply, his trademarked, cocky smirk slowly returning to his lips.

"See, I told you, Albus. Much too young, what are people thinking these days? Allowing a fifteen year old to serve in the military." She said in a disapproving tone.

Ed smirked, and Al mentally slapped at his forehead, Ed was going to enjoy this. "Ha!" Ed exclaimed, causing McGonagall to jump slightly. "That's nothing. I joined when I was twelve."

* * *

Ed spent the rest of their time explaining his reasons for joining the military, needing the title to gain access to resources and research material only available to those of the State. It began to make more sense, at least to Dumbledore, why he would be joining so young, and how he managed to pull it off, with his remarkable talent. Ed then soon found that it was easy to talk to the old man, that he even understood some of what he was saying due to his working with Nicholas, though it still wasn't quite the same. Their alchemy was enforced and seemed to feed off magic, rather than energy created from the natural flow of the world.

Soon, however, it was time for the headmaster to leave.

"Wait, what about you? I've told you what you want to know, now I have questions of my own!" Ed protested when the old man said he had to go. Ed was angered, he trusted the man and now he was walking out on them.

Dumbledore chuckled, easing the tension between them. "Don't worry. You will have your questions answered, but there is some place else I must be. That being said, I'd also like to have a few others with me when we do talk again... because there is one more thing." He said.

"I thought you were done with questions." Ed said, still angered.

Dumbledore met Ed's gaze, and he seemed to calm, seeing that the old wizard's were serious. "I am, yes, for the moment. This is a request." He said, and before Ed could question him about it he added, "But, it will have to wait until tonight. I have a meeting I must be off to. McGonagall will take care of you until then." With that, he was off, leaving the Elric's with only one thought_._

_Oh, joy. A babysitter._

* * *

"Alright. This is where you will be staying until further notice, a guest room. It may be a bit dusty, but none the less, in working order," Mcgonagall said as she led the boys to guest room on the ground floor, near the Great Hall.

"Thank you." Al said, grateful for their generosity. Ed remained silent, still in a sour mood from being 'babysat'. The second he stepped foot in the room, he sneezed. Once his vision cleared, he saw that there were two beds - though Al wouldn't need one - each on its own wall. A wooden dresser stood in the middle on the back wall under a small window and a desk with large cabinets was pushed into an alcove behind the bed on the eastern wall.

"Dinner will be served in about an hour in the Great Hall, just down there..." McGonagall trailed off, pointing in the direction of large doors that would lead them to the Great Hall. "...in the mean time, I would like it for you two to stay put in here. If you are in need of a restroom, you may use the one on the fourth floor. You can't miss it, though watch the stairs, they tend to change. I will be back shortly to escort you both to the Great Hall, preferably before the students know you are here, until you are introduced by Dumbledore."

"Introduced?" Ed asked, a little uncomfortable. He didn't want the attention. "Like, in front of the whole school?" Al gulped, or at least made the sound.

"Yes, though not until tomorrow's dinner, I believe. After we work out what to tell the students. Is that a problem?" Mcgonagall asked.

"No, of course not." Ed lied. It wasn't that he wasn't use to dealing with large crowds of people, but how would they react to Al?

"Good, then. I will be back shortly," McGonagall said and then went off to the kitchens, to let the house elves know that they were to prepare two extra meals a bit early, so that the Elrics could eat in peace in their room. The last thing the old professor wanted to deal with was having to come up with an explanation as to why the boys were here in the first place, and why they weren't shipped off to the ministry to be dealt with, especially when she didn't know the answers to that herself. What did Dumbledore want with them, and how did he plan on getting his way with two hard headed boys?

* * *

The Elrics waited somewhat patiently for McGonagall to come back. Ed was starving and being stuck in this room wasn't helping his nerves. When there was a knock on the door, Ed, almost like a puppy, rushed over and opened it eagerly.

"Good, I'm glad to see you are still here." McGonagall said when she saw both boys were still present and not wondering about the halls. "Come along, _quickly_."

The boys did as they were told and followed the old professor down to the Great Hall. Once they walked through the large, wooden doors they were awed by the enormisty of the room. It was huge! The three made their way past four long, wooden tables and stopped when they came to a fifth table at the end, meeting with Dumbledore and a man they hadn't seen before. He was tall, or at least compared to Ed. He was robed in all black and had long, greasy, black hair and a cold stare. As the boys made their way to them they stopped their conversation.

"Edward, Alphonse, glad to see you haven't wondered off," Dumbledore said, his old eyes gleaming. Edward smirked.

"You can't get rid of us that easy, old man," Edward replied and passed a glance at the other man beside him. "Who's that?" He wondered aloud.

Dumbledore turned slightly towards the other Professor and answered, "That would be Professor Snape, our potions master. I'm sure you will all get to know him soon enough, though until then..." Dumbledore trailed off and then proceeded to give the Elrics their dinner. "I must ask that you head back to your room until after dinner. Once the students clear out I will come to get you and then we can contine our conversation from earlier today in my office. I'm very sorry for the inconvience, but I would rather wait to introduce you to the students and staff when I know what to say to them. I'd think you would agree with me, yes?" The boys nodded and then followed McGonagall out without another word to Dumbledore or this 'Professor Snape', whom they weren't too sure they liked just yet. Call it experience, but both brothers knew when they came across the mysterous and annoying type.

* * *

Harry hadn't expected to run into either of the Elrics again so soon, especially at a time like this, nor while exiting the Great Hall with their dinners before it had even begun. Harry turned Ron and Hermione, tugging on their robes to get their attention.

"Look, it's them, the boys I told you about." Harry said. Ron and Hermione stopped and looked in the direction Harry was pointing.

"He really is wearing armor, that boy. And I thought you were kidding, mate." Ron said, trying his best not to gape at the strange sight before him.

"You would think he'd take it off. Hogwarts is one of the safest places there are, " Hermione inquired. "And no one has been in need of armor for at least a century, how odd."

"And the blonde, Edward," Harry began, taking the attention of Al. "He has a metal arm."

"A metal arm?" Hermione asked, never hearing of such a thing. "How does that work? You think it's magic?"

Harry thought about it, but the reaction he got from Ed when he saw his wand and the fact that he didn't know it existed quckly confirmed that it wasn't. "No. He didn't know magic existed before last night. Now, come on," Harry said before more questions that he didn't know the answer to rose up. "Dumbledore is waiting on us."

Harry and his gang took off again, passing Edward and Alphone in the hall. The three teen wizards forced themselves to remain quiet, though Harry and Ed passed glaces to each other. Once they made their way to the staff table, Dumbledore greeted them.

"You wanted to see us, Professor?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I need you three to meet me in my office right after dinner." Dumbledore replied. The three were curious.

"For what?" Hermione asked, unsure of what the old Headmaster would need to say to all three of them that he couldn't say now with only Snape in the room.

"Patience, you will see." Dumbledore chucked and then motioned to the tables which were starting to fill with hungry students that neither Harry nor the others noticed as they came in. "Now, go and enjoy your dinner."

* * *

**Ugh, I'm so sorry for such a long wait and not putting much into this chapter. I had vacation and other stuff came up, only slowing me down. DX Though, I promise that the next chapter will be much better and will be up within the next few days. Maybe tonight, or tomorrow...er later..haha. **

**(1) - Horcrux - an object, animal or person to whom a wizard places a part of his or her own soul into in order to become somwhat imortal. This way, if their body is destoryed, they have a way of revival, so long as their horcrux has not been destroyed. I won't go into much detail, because I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read the last Harry Potter book, but it will be semi important at least in the next chapter.**


	4. Truth Unraveled Part II

**Author Note: **Soo...couldn't update as quick as I planned. Real busy cleaning to earn money for Louisianime...anyone going? And then I have summer reading projects to read before school starts..oh, joy! Oh, and then school started and i had NO TIME and NO COMPUTER, great, huh? A real joy, just the best thing ever for someone like me.

Oh, and thankfully, this will be the last explanations chapter...after this the plot will start to pick up...So, no more sort of boring chapters.. yay!

And a heads up, I'm not perfectly accurate with every little detail, or at least I doubt I am. Not saying I got everything (or anything if I'm lucky) wrong, but I also could be off on a few things. If you see a mistake, please let me know...and don't forget to review. XD

* * *

Dumbledore arrived later to his office than expected, by which time everyone was there waiting for him. He smiled sheepishly as he walked passed his guest and took a seat at his desk. "Sorry I was late, I had some last minuet errands that slipped my mind earlier. I couldn't wait, but I got here as soon as I could," the old Headmaster said, being twenty minuets late.

"It's alright, Professor." Harry said, being one of five guest in his now crowded office, not including Professor McGonagall, who decided to stay after she escorted the two Elrics back to Dumbledore's office for the second time.

"The wait wasn't that bad, really..." Hermione said, though not mentioning how awkward it was. The whole time, no one spoke, save for minor introductions and a few whispered words between Ed and Al, none of which anyone else caught. Then there was the supposed younger brother in the ginormous suit of armor staring at you from the corner of the room, the only place he could fit comfortably.

Ron muttered something incoherent under his breath, which his friends could only guess contradicted what Hermione said. The Elrics remained silent.

"Right, I'm glad then." Dumbledore said, though he could guess that it wasn't the best twenty minuets of their lives. "Now, why don't we begin, I don't want to keep you here for too long."

"That's all fine and dandy...but I don't understand why _they _are here." Ed said, glaring at the newcomers. Al whispered, 'brother...' to Ed in a disapproving tone, though the elder brother ignored it. He didn't need anyone else knowing his business.

"Neither do I, Professor." Harry said, though a lot more polite than Ed, though he wasn't that opposed to it, figuring he could find out a bit more about the Elrics should he say. He wasn't thrilled about being shooed away from the hospital wing after the nurse came out to examine Ed, something about the less people crowding her the better.

"Well, then, let me explain." Dumbledore said, and then proceded to rest his head on his hands. "Do you remember what I told you earlier, about a request?" He asked, testing the boys memory.

Ed scoffed, "As if I could forget." He looked from Dumbledore, to the teens with Harry, and then back to the old man. "Though I don't see what you would want that could involve them...I'm not a babysitter."

"A babysitter?" Hermione asked, slightly offended. "You're practically our age."

"And what is your age, exactly?" Ed asked, with uninterested curiosity. His gazed lazily at Hermione, his head resting on his right hand.

"I'm fifteen, so are Harry and Ron." Hermione answered, still angered, ignoring Ed's attitude completely.

Ed grinned, "I'll be sixteen in winter." The others - Harry, Ron and Hermione - were shocked.

"No way, you're so-" Ron began, but was silenced by Ed's intense glare. Ron shrank back and scooted further from the enraged boy and closer to his friends.

"Don't. Even. _Say_. The. Word. Short." Ed said slowly through tightly clenched teeth. Al sighed. "What? You want some of-" Ed was silenced by Al's chuckling and then settled with crossing his arms and glaring at the red head beside him.

"Alright." McGonagall said. "Let's calm down and allow Albus to continue, shall we?"

"Thank you, Minerva." Dumbledore said, grateful. "Now, I don't want you to 'babysit', so no worries about that,"' He began, instantly relieving a lot of built up tension in the room. "However, I would like you to teach them what you know about alchemy, if you could," He finished and then waited for a response. Ron and Hermione, already knowing a bit about Ed's version of alchemy from what Harry had explained earlier, didn't even bother asking for an explanation, they remained silent and waited expectantly for an answer.

Ed wasn't expecting this, so it took him a while to gather his thoughts. "Do you realize how long that would take?" He said, finally. "I've studied it for most of my life to get to where I am today, and I still have room for improvement. I'm not even sure if it's the same here, for all I know the elements could be off, or even completely different. I could kill myself!" Ed vented, though he was slightly over exaggerating it. Al believed otherwise. Harry and the others wondered about where the two brothers really did come from, if not here, though didn't get the chance to ask any questions on the matter.

"I don't think so, Brother." Al reasoned. "And even if it is, I don't think you'd mess it up that bad." He teased, only ticking Ed off further.

"Oh, really?" Ed asked sarcastically. "Fine, let's find out, this is stone, right?" Ed asked, pointing to the floor. Dumbledore nodded, amused at the boys antics. Ed, not sparing another second, clapped his hands together and placed them on the floor, though with a bit of excessive force on his part, due to his fit of anger. Harry and his gang watched as blue electricity shot out from the ground, backing away as much as they could. Ed raised his right hand and with the motion, a bladed spear was transmuted. As it rose higher, he caught it, giving it a slight twirl to test it's weight. Grinning in triumph, he said, "Guess I was wrong, at least about the stone."

Hermione and Ron were speechless, forgetting their earlier thoughts on where Ed and Al really came from; McGonagall in complete shock. The only two that seemed to be taking this all in smoothly was Harry and Dumbledore, who had witnessed his alchemy before. Ed, not as evil as he appeared to be, noticed the looks on the others faces and transmuted the staff back into stone and then sat back down on the plush chair he was on before. Sighing, he said, "Even still, I don't know if it's such a good idea. Alchemy isn't something you learn in a day. It takes weeks of complete dedication to learn how to transmute a simple doll, months to years to learn anything like I just did."

Dumbledore's expression did not change, "I understand. Though, would you consider it if I promised my student's would surprise you, and if I allowed you and your brother unrestricted use of our Library?"

"A library?" Al asked, "What kinds of books do you have?" He was getting excited, and though Ed was better at hiding it, he was too. They both knew that they would have to learn more about this world if they had any hopes in getting home.

"I have a vast collection, and many that you should find useful. There are even a few written by Nicholas, that should at least interest you. Also, should you take the offer, I promise that at the end of term, whether or not teaching these students alchemy is successful, I shall lend you a hand in finding a way to get you home. All you have to do is make a good effort, "Dumbledore said, really gaining the Elric's attention when he mentioned trying to get them home.

"What do you think, Al? You up for it?" Ed asked, feeling a bit more optimistic, still not allowing anyone to bring of the question of his or his brothers origin, and liking it that way.

"It's worth a shot!" Al replied.

"Alright then, old man. We have a deal, though I'm not promising to go easy on them one bit," Ed said, slightly day dreaming and laughing manically on the inside. "They want to learn, that's fine. But, we do it my way."

"That's perfectly understandable," Dumbledore agreed. "Are you three alright with this?"

"Sure, Professor, but I don't really understand why you want us to learn this anyway," Harry replied, a little scared of what was in store for him and his friends.

"I just think it will benefit you, that's all." Dumbledore said, "It's dangerous times we live in. Anything that your opponent doesn't expect will come to you as an advantage, especially if you are disarmed." The teens thought of this, and found that Dumbledore had a good point.

"Wait..." Ed began, wanting to clarify something. "They won't be able to do alchemy like me and Al, I just want to make sure that's understood before we close this deal."

"I don't think I quite understand what you mean, what other way is there?" Dumbledore asked, now curious.

"Our way of alchemy, the way we clap our hands...there is a lot more to it than it looks...more than we'd like to discuss. There are also few that can preform it the same way, most use chalk." Ed explained.

"Chalk?" Ron asked, finally finding his voice, though asking in a tone that showed disbelief. Hermione and Harry mirrored his expression, McGonagall was still silent.

"Yea, though you can use just about anything that writes...though chalk generally shows up on most surfaces..." Ed began, trailing off, before seeing everyone confused looks. He continued, "Typically, to make a reaction, you have to draw an array, one with different symbols that represent each of the elements, this would cause your material to be transmuted into another form, though it must be of equal value and of the same basic elements. It's complicated."

Confusion still hung thick in the air. "Obviously," Harry remarked.

"Though, I don't understand. You said there has to be an array, why don't you have to?" Hermione asked. Ed looked a little uncomfortable.

Al spoke next, explaining it as simple as he could, "We can channel the flow of our own energy into an array, without actually drawing one out on paper, it's kind of natural for us-"

"And we will just leave it at that," Ed said, not wanting to go deeper into the subject. Thankfully, before the curious teens could ask anymore questions, Dumbledore re-centered the attention onto himself.

"Very well. How about instead we decide on what to tell the rest of the students and faculty here, shall we?" He asked, both brothers agreed. "It's obvious that you will be spending a lot of time around Harry and his friends, so I can't just let you loose without an explanation."

"What do you have in mind, Albus?" McGonagall asked, though it seemed she already had an idea. One of those spur of the moment ones she enjoyed, even with her old age.

"It seems you will tell me." Dumbledore answered simply, already seeing the light in her eyes. McGonagall smiled.

"I had the idea - since alchemy reminds me a bit of transfiguration - that maybe you could be my interns. You could watch a few of my classes, maybe even learn a thing are two," She finished the thought with a light smirk, "And then help out Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the mean time." McGonagall said.

"Intern?" Ed asked, not sure how he felt about it, though before McGonagall could question his tone he finished, "I guess it will do, you alright with it, Al?"

"Yes, sounds kind of...fun." Al agreed, though the topic of internship was quickly and unexpectedly changed.

"_Alright_... I can't take it anymore, why are you in that armor? Is it really necessary?" Hermione blurted out, unable to contain her curiosity any longer. "I mean, it's kind of..._outdated_, don't you think?"

Ed and Al cringed back, Ed not liking the idea of explaining why Al was the way he was to yet another person and getting consumed by the fresh new wave of guilt that came with it, each one hitting him harder than the last. "That's kind of...personal." Ed said, his voice low and hardly audible, already sinking into his thoughts though the story hadn't even been touched.

"O-Oh," Hermione stuttered, wishing she never asked in the first place, originally assuming it was because of some kind of extreme case of paranoia or an O.C.D. hobby gone a little to far, having no idea how wrong she could be. Still confused, she muttered, "Sorry."

"It's okay." Al said, though he still felt a bit uncomfortable.

"How about we move on then." Dumbledore suggested, lifting a lot of pressure off both Ed and Al's shoulders.

"_Please_." Ed asked with a little more urgency than necessary, his voice strained.

"Very well, why don't you five head off to bed and we can can work out the rest of the kinks in the morning, all should go well enough so that we don't have to put to much thought into it," Dumbledore insisted, and dismissed everyone from his office. "Oh, and Ed..." Dumbledore began, stopping the teen and his brother in his tracks. "...I do ask that you go with Minerva tomorrow to hopefully find a few necessities that both you and your brother will need to manage it here. Unfortunately, I don't think it would be wise to plan a visit to our main shopping district, Diagon Ally, until the weekend, so you will have to be creative until then."

"Uh...okay." Ed said, a little confused, but not surprised.

"Goodnight, Professor." Al said, and then made his way down the stairs, his heavy footsteps echoing loudly against the stone walls, ringing in his brother's ears. Another reminder, another wave of guilt.

"Um, goodnight." Ed muttered and then went to follow after his brother and catch up with McGonagall so she could help them find their room again. She was right, the stairs did like to change, making navigation confusing.

"Goodnight," Dumbledore said, though he doubted either of the boys heard it, as they were already making their way quickly down the stairs. He sighed, content with how things turned out, though still tired from the long day. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander, planning his schedule for tomorrow, hoping that it would go as smoothly as he promised, only slightly worried about the few obstacles that could possibly get in their way and...complicate things. He let himself drift off into a light sleep.

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione couldn't keep quiet on the way back to their dorm. Earlier conversations still rang in their ears, echoing through their minds. "So," Harry began, "Alchemy. Wow."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "I didn't see that coming. Do you even really know what that is? I've never heard of it 'till today," Ron asked. When Harry shrugged he asked, "Hermione?"

She thought for a moment. "I've came across a few books, but nothing I've read is anything like what Edward did. I only found references to chemist trying to turn lead and other base metals into gold. Nothing really interesting, or helpful," she answered. "Sorry."

The three rounded a corner, checked for eaves droppers, and then continued their conversation. "Do you really think it will be helpful, though? I mean, against Voldemort or Death Eaters?" Harry asked, his mind centering on that thought while he listened absentmindedly to their groups echoing steps against the stone floor.

"I don't know, mate." Ron answered. "I mean, I don't know about you, but I don't think I'd be any good swinging around a pointy looking, staff thing, you?" Harry laughed a little, though Hermione didn't find it all that funny.

"I'm sure we will be able to do more than that, don't you Harry?" Hermione asked. "Didn't you say something about him changing, or 'transmuting'," she began, making air quotes around that last word before she began again, "his arm into a sword at dinner?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, though I hope not all he can teach us deals with hand to hand combat, otherwise I don't think we have much of a chance." Hermione and Ron agreed, not seeing themselves as much of the combatant type. Not unless having quick and accurate wrist movements count.

"I guess we'll find out, until then...Ron, you need to finish your potions essay. I'm not writing it for you _again_!" Hermione stated, retiring the conversation back into one they usually shared.

"Oh, come on, Hermione," Ron pleaded. "You know Snape hates, me...I'll fail at this rate.." He finished. When she didn't budge, he added, "Could you at least look over it for me?" Harry sighed, his friends were far too predictable. He wondered how long this mindless innocence would last.

* * *

Ed was now lying in his bed, and even though he was both physically and mentally exhausted from the events that happened in the last few days, he couldn't sleep. "Hey, Al?" He whispered, giving up his attempts to sink even into the lightest form of sleep.

"Yeah?" Al asked, lying on his own bed, though both brothers knew it was imposable for him to get any rest the way he was.

"Do you think we did the right thing, accepting the old man's offer?" Ed asked, replaying today's event's in his head. In so little time, faster than Ed thought possible, both his and his brother's life had completely changed. Hopefully, this decision would set everything right. Al waited a while before answering.

"Yeah, I do." Al replied, totally confident, unlike his brother. For another moment, all was silent. "I feel that doing this will get us home, somehow. I trust Dumbledore to go through with what he said, and even if he can't help us...we'll figure something out. We always do."

Ed smiled, unable to fight the grin that was now playing at his lips. "Yea, I guess you're right. We just have to make sure we don't screw it up." Al chucked, and Ed knew what he was about to say.

"I hope you're mostly referring to yourself, Brother." Al replied, though Ed knew he was only joking. Ed waved him off, though the gesture was lost in the darkness.

"Yeah, yeah." Ed said, before turning back over, his mind now at rest enough to allow him to relax. "Night, Al."

"Goodnight, Brother." Al replied.

* * *

The early rays of the morning sun came far to early for Edward's liking, nor for Al, who was usually the one in charge of waking him up. "Come _on _Brother, wake up!" Al tried, but got no noticeable response from his brother. Al ripped the covers from him and laid them at his feet, hoping the sudden gust of what he thought would be cold air would startle him enough to get him on his feel.

"Al, what the hell?" Ed muttered and then went to grab the covers at his feet before laying back down and rolling over, gripping tightly to the covers for warmth. "Wake me up later."

"I can't, Professor McGonagall is waiting on us, we need to get ready," Al said, hoping that would change things around. It didn't.

"No, I'm tired." Ed replied, not able to get much sleep last night. Al then had no choice, his mood turned murderous and his eyes were glossed over with a reddish hue.

"_Get up, Brothe_r." Al said, his tone a little too sweet for Ed's liking. He rolled over and gazed up at his brother. Cringing back in panic, all traces of the grogginess that once clouded his tired mind were gone. Al was glaring at him, _glaring_, his arm's were folded and his expression was one that could scare whole army's into retreating. Ed jumped out of bed, landing roughly on his feet, almost toppling over.

"Al, you're right." Ed said quickly. "I should get up..." As Ed rushed to get ready, Al chuckled in the background.

A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door. Ed went to open it, slipping on his vibrant red coat in the process. "_Finally_, you're up, let's get going, I don't have much time before my next class." McGonagall said from the other side of the door, motioning for the boys to follow her. Ed grumbled as he left his room.

"Finally? It's what, six in the morning?" Ed questioned, hoping she didn't expect him to get up this early every morning.

"Around seven thirty, actually." The professor corrected, leading the boy's up a few sets of stairs. The few student's they passed surprised the Elrics. Naturally, they expected a few to stare at Al, but most just glanced at the newcomers, acknowledging they were just that, and then went on about their business. Was this world really that different from Amestris?

"Hey, McGonagall-" Edward began.

"Professor." She corrected, before allowing Edward to go on.

"Alright, _Professor _McGonagall, what country are we in, exactly?" Ed asked, curious now to see if maybe instead of being in a new world entirely, they were just in another part.

"England, why?" The Professor replied, now curious herself. Ed just shrugged.

"Curious, that's all." He muttered sometime later. Al seemed to have the same thought as he, they weren't on the same planet, not unless they had just somehow not ever heard of England, though that was unlikely. Being in the military, Ed made it a priority to at least read over most of the countries, skipping the ones he already knew. And unless his memory was failing him again, England didn't exist, at least in his home world. "What year?" He asked, while they were on a staircase, waiting on it to stop moving so they could get off.

McGonagall stuttered for a moment, but decided to say nothing of the matter. If was now perfectly clear to her, something that she was denying out of sheer stubbornness last night, that these boys were not from here...or if they were, they were different that everyone else around her.

"1995" McGonagall replied, just as they arrived to her classroom. Shocked, Ed managed to trip himself. Fortunately, Al caught him before he hit the floor. "Are you alright, Mr. Elric?" She asked, seeing the confusion in his eyes.

"Y-yeah. It's just...I was born in 1899." Ed replied, his mind was racing. Not only was he in another world, but another time!

"Brother, you think?" Al asked, thinking the same thing Ed was.

"Yeah." Ed replied, looking over to see McGonagall's shocked face.

"That's impossible, you're only fifteen, and your brother fourteen." McGonagall insisted, just about tired of getting stuff like this dropped on her. She did the math, and there was no way Ed or Al was ninety-five or older.

Ed thought about it for a moment at a desk the professor motioned for him to sit at. Ed thought there were three different possibilities here, two being more likely. He thought either Truth sent he and his brother ahead in time to another part of his world where magic existed...or he was in another world entirely, and their time was just a little off. Just because it was a few years ahead, doesn't mean he actually went ahead in time. It all depends on when they started their calender. But, compared to everything else, this really wasn't that important. Nevertheless, he explained his theory to Al and the professor.

"You may have a point, one that I'd rather no think about at this time, if you don't mind." McGonagall said, grabbing a few large books from a bookshelf in the back of the room before heading off to another corner.

"We understand." Al said, kind of thinking the same thing. So much has happened in the last few days, so much to think about. Everyone just needed some time to relax.

"I think, at least for now, our best bet is to just go with the flow of things here, work on what we can while we can, and not think about all the little details too much." Ed finished, Al seemed to agree.

"Well said, Mr. Elric." McGonagall remarked, thankful that the boy wasn't making things more complicated than they needed to be. "Now, I would like you to read these, or at least skim through them thoroughly," she added, though to Ed whether it was skimming or not, it was still reading, something he was more than use to. She handed Ed and Al a few books. Ed looked at the titles, noticing they were all about magic. Seeing his expression, she told him, "I think these will be helpful to you, get you started so you aren't completely lost. I don't think either of you are the type of people to be looked down upon as fools."

"You're right," Ed replied, still gazing at the books, before looking back at McGonagall. "I'll have these back to you tomorrow."

The old professor grinned, glad that the boys were at least enthusiastic about learning, more than she could say about a good bit of students she knew she shouldn't name. "Alright," she said, though she doubted the boys could get through all those book in a day. "Now, breakfast has just about ended for the students, so you should be able to go now without to much of a problem, eat in peace. I have class in about ten minuets, so I will come and find you too later. Dumbledore has confirmed to me that you are allowed to move about the castle freely, but it's best to stay indoors. Though, please try and be back to your dorm by four, so that you have a little time to get ready for dinner, where you will be introduced," she finished, though neither Ed nor Al were to happy about the dinner part.

"...Alright, four, got it." Ed confirmed, and then started out the door with the books he acquired, Al in step behind him.

"One more thing, if you please," Mcgonagall began, gaining the boys attention. "Say out of trouble," she finished, a mixture between seriousness and humor showing in her facial features. Ed smirked.

* * *

**Author Ending Note: **Wow, so i know this is a horrible place to stop, but I needed to post SOMETHING! I am sooo sorry for the horrifically uber long wait time for this chapter, but I've been super busy and I just got my computer back today, so I'm back :) Hopefully, I will be able to update more often, right now though, I'm going to sleep, so if it's full of mistakes, Im sorry. I read over it, but I need to go over it again tomorrow.

Review! Even if it isn't all good, I need to know what ya'll think :)

I'll even give you a cookie XD


	5. Enemies

**Author Note: **Just want to give a quick thanks to Latios381- who gave me a bit of inspiration of how I make Ed and Draco's first little meet go. Thank you! Unfortunately, I couldn't work it out to where it would happen how I originally planned, but regardless, I'm happy with how it turned out.

I'd also like to apologize for the super late updates. Five honors classes take up most of my time, and before last weekend, any free time was spent at Silhouette Eclipse's house, preparing for Louisianime, which was epic by the way. Met some amazing people that I will never forget! Anyway, I got a brand new laptop, FINALLY. That does not belong to anyone, but me, so I don't have to rely on the school's computer anymore. That being said, updates should be more frequent. I will try to keep the chapters long, but I don't know exactly how well that will work out. Either way, I will do my best to update more frequently, just please bear with me.

Lastly, I have some personal stuff that may make updating a lot within the next few days/weeks a bit hard, depending on how all of it works out. Hopefully, it won't get in my way, but you know how those things goes.

Alright, enough rambling, on with the fic!

* * *

Ed and Al first made a quick stop back to their room, needing to set down the books. Ed plopped his share onto his bed and sat lazily at the foot of it, skimming through the book that was on top. "You know, these book's should be at least somewhat interesting." He remarked, eying various words as he skipped through the pages.

Al had a book in his hand also, though he was sitting on the floor Indian style. "Yeah, though we will probably need some kind of dictionary, I don't know half these words." Al muttered, skimming through a book about basic potions and their purposes. "Is this suppose to be some kind of herb?" Al asked, humored at the odd names he was coming across. "Or an animal?"

"Who knows." Ed answered, and then closed the book in his hand. He stood up after tossing it back onto his bed and said, "Let's see if we can find that library, there should be a few dictionaries in there, and we still have a good few hours to waste before supper."

Al nodded and then followed his brother out the small room. They made their way up and down the stairs, and past a few corridors, coming across everything imaginable...except for the library. Ed, getting ticked off already, was forced to take a break by Al before he would, "end up storming off in the wrong direction and getting us even more lost."

"I just don't understand why this school has to be so huge and confusing!" He complained, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking out the nearest window at nothing in particular. "It's not necessary!"

"Brother, calm down before you attract attention to yourself." Al insisted, but spoke too soon. Not long after Ed finished his sentence did the two boys hear light, but quick footsteps coming down the hall. They looked to see a short woman, wearing an unflattering amount of pink, with features resembling that of a toad making her way towards the two boys.

She stopped a bit short and gazed upon them sternly. "You," she said, looking at Ed. "What is your name and why are you out of uniform? Classes are still being held." Ed, already in a sour mood, glared at the woman, not liking her tone.

"Ed." He said simply, and then continued to stare out the window. The woman made this soft, but high pitched chirping sound, almost like she was clearing her throat, demanding Ed's attention. Al looked from Ed, who hadn't moved an inch despite the woman's attempt to get his attention, and then back towards the woman. This wasn't going to go well.

"Your full name." The woman demanded in this sickly sweet voice that made Ed want to clamp his ears and run away screaming. "Boy."

Ed finally broke his gaze from the window and focused his intense, golden eyes back on the woman, making her a bit uneasy, though she'd never admit it. "Edward Elric. And no, before you ask, I'm not a student and therefore do not require a uniform. Now, If you would stop asking me unnecessary questions, I would like to leave."

The pink, toad like woman was stunned into silence for a few moments, allowing Ed and Al to walk away without her saying another word. After they were a good ways away, Al said, "You shouldn't have said that, you don't know who she is."

"And I honestly don't care." Ed replied, the sour tone still affecting his voice. "I can already tell that I don't like her type. And if this world is the same as ours, she probably holds some kind of power over this school, a professor at the least...and you know I don't play well with superiors."

Ed kept rambling while they explored a few more halls, eventually nearly yelling out, "This is so irritating!"

"Uh, Brother." Al said, stopping in his tracks, fighting a smile.

"What?" Ed asked, his tone still sharp.

"You found it." Al replied, and ignored the confused expression replacing the anger on his brother's face. "The library, it's right beside you." he said, and pointed just next to Ed.

"I knew that." Ed muttered, and had to resist the urge to slap himself. "Let's go."

* * *

They walked in and were immediately taken back. IT WAS HUGE! There had to of been thousands of books, much more than you would normally find in a school. Ed, still in a bit of shock, walked up to the desk with the librarian.

"Excuse me?" He said, and hesitantly asked, "Where can I find a dictionary?"

The librarian chuckled and then said, "There are a few scattered around the library, but your best bet is over there." The librarian pointed over to a small shelf over in a corner. Ed started twitching, noticing all the other smaller shelves around it.

He pointed an accusing finger towards the librarian and all but screamed, "I'M NOT SHO-"

Al cut him off by securing one of his over sized hands over his brother's mouth and began dragging him away towards the shelf that was pointed out earlier. "Heh heh...Thank you."

The librarian nodded hesitantly and when the two boys were out of earshot muttered, "Kids these days..."

-~^.^~-

Once Al had dragged his brother to the shelf he released his hold, leaving Ed gasping for air. "What's these people's problems? I'm not short!"

"She didn't say that." Al replied, looking through the books, trying to find a nice looking dictionary.

"But it was implied!" Ed grumbled and fell to the ground beside his brother, scanning the books angrily, pulling them from their shelves. Al sighed and continued searching, eventually pulling out a rather large dictionary with a tattered cover.

"This should do it." Al said, and then opened it, revealing a bit of built up dust in the process, before he started scanning the pages.

"If you say so..." Ed coughed, the only one of the two affected by the massive amount of dust that was circulating around them. He backed away and said, "I'm going to go search over there. Meet me at the desk in about an hour. Maybe we can cover some ground this way."

"Alright." Al said and got back to scanning books in his section. Ed, in the mean time, wandered off to the darker corners of the library. He scanned the books he came across, but none of the titles really held his attention. Finally, he found something that looked somewhat interesting: The Restricted Section.

"Well," Ed whispered to himself, "Dumbledore said I had unrestricted access, I guess this should be okay."

After he assured himself that he was allowed inside, he went to open the door, but then noticed that there was a lock hanging from the handle. "Hmm.." He muttered, and then clapped his hands together. "Let's try this."

After the transmutation was complete, Ed was left holding a horseshoe, he smirked. Before he entered the now unlocked room, he placed the horseshoe on the shelf nearest to the door, not looking back.

It wasn't long before Ed was finding books that he actually felt were worth something. Most were about dark arts, but within these, Ed found a few alchemic symbols. He kept the ones that were indirectly related to alchemy and set them aside, putting the others back. There was one book, however, that Ed especially wanted to keep, and would sneak out if he needed to. It was a book on Nicholas Flamel, the alchemist that he heard a few details about from Dumbledore, and who has apparently created a Philosophers Stone without the loss of life. Hopefully, it would give Ed a few leads on getting home, and if he was lucky, perhaps on getting Al's body back.

"What are you doing here?" Said a venomous voice from somewhere in the the shadows, causing Ed to jump. Ed, annoyed, glared at the newcomer; a tall man with shoulder length, greasy, black hair. "Student's aren't allowed in the restricted section without a pass from a professor."

Ed sighed, his anger boiling. "How many times will I have to explain that I _am not a student here?_" he asked rhetorically.

"Your name?" He asked, ignoring the teens sarcasm.

"Ed." Ed replied in a tone similar to that of the strangers. "You?" He asked, putting down the book and folding his arms. If he was going to be interrogated, then he would do the same.

"Professor Severus Snape." He answered, his own temper rising.

"Alright then _Professor, _why don't you allow me to get back to my research?" Ed asked, and then went back to looking through books, ignoring Snape's further questions as if he wasn't there until he stormed out, grumbling about the school's falling standards. When he was gone, Ed checked his pocket watch, surprised at how much time had passed. He was twenty minuets late for meeting Al.

Ed quickly picked up the books he found relevant out of his small stack and headed back towards the front desk to see if he could check any of them out. Worse came to worse, he would get Dumbledore to do it for him later.

Once Al came in to view, Ed could already tell that he wasn't happy with him. "S-sorry Al," He said, and then added, "I got caught up in the back, but I found some good books."

Al sighed and took the books from his brother and then handed them all to the Librarian to get them checked out. The librarian looked at them with a sort of confused interest, but didn't say anything. The brothers figured that Dumbledore must have talked to her before hand.

As the brothers walked out with their new collection, Ed asked, "So, you find anything?" Al nodded and showed him a particular book.

"Yeah, it mentioned a few things about alchemy, but I couldn't find the book that came with it. This is just volume one, there is suppose- "Al began, but was cut off when Ed held up a book that looked a lot like the one Al was talking about. "...And that should be it. Nice." Al finished, and the two made it swiftly back to their room, there was only about two hours before dinner, and they had a lot of books to read, even if they could only touch their surfaces.

Once the two made it back, and the brothers dumped the books in various places, Al asked, "So, uh, where do we start?"

"With this one." Ed responded, quicker than Al thought he would, but Ed had this book on his mind since the moment he read the title. "About Nicholas Flamel."

* * *

It wasn't long after that Professor McGonagall had knocked on their door, even though the brothers hadn't got much reading done. "Are you ready?" She asked, and the boys nodded. Ed grabbed his coat, though not without a disapproving look from McGonagall, and followed her out, Al in step behind him.

"So, uh, how is this going to go?" Ed asked, hoping that not too much attention was drawn to him and his brother. "What are you going to say about Al...?"

"Nothing that you would want to keep to yourselves. We are going to introduce both of you, and that is all." McGonagall said, and Ed sighed in relief. He didn't want any more pressure put on Al than there already was.

"Alright, sound's good to me. What about you, Al?" Ed asked, and his younger brother nodded.

"Same here, Brother." Al assured, and then followed his brother and the Professor into the Great Hall, which was luckily not filled with students. Here, they met up with Dumbledore.

"Edward, Alphonse, good to see you made it on time. I heard you two were in the library," he said, and sent a quick, knowing glance towards Snape at the other end of the hall. Ed smirked.

"Yeah, the trip there was very... enlightening." Ed replied and then crossed his arms, his right giving off an odd popping sound. Ed winced in pain and exclaimed, "Dammit!" Dumbledore, and the few Professors that were already in the Great Hall for an early supper, stopped their conversations and focused their attention on Ed.

"Brother?" Al asked, alarmed. "What happened?"

Ed, still with a slight pained expression on his face, sighed and started to move his automail in small circles, mostly around the shoulder area. "Automail is loose, I probably damaged it in the fight with Envy, it's a wonder it's lasted this long without any problems, basic functions are still in tact, though." He said, muttering another curse as a small screw fell from his coat sleeve, getting curious stares from those not in the know. "Winry is going to kill me."

Al had to hold in laughter, because he knew this all too well. If it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, he would be on the floor right now, laughing his armor off. "Can you fix it?" Al asked, and Ed nodded hesitantly.

"As long as it isn't totally busted I can do a minor self repair. Winry showed me a few quick fixes after that last first battle with Scar, but if it's too far gone I'm screwed. I should have checked it earlier, but I assumed that if my glove was here after it was ripped that Truth... that cheap bastard... " Ed muttered, but was cut off when Dumbledore spoke.

"Is it something I can help with? I am fairly familiar with earlier forms of machinery, I may be able to take a look inside," he offered, but was waved off by Ed.

"I'm thinking, due to the pain where I believe this screw should be, that all I have to do is put it back in and make sure none of the others are loose." He said, a silent thanks showing in his golden eyes. Dumbledore nodded. "How much time is there before dinner?"

"About fifteen minuets, why?" Dumbledore asked, wondering if the boys were going to run off.

"Do you trust everyone in this room?" Ed asked, ignoring Dumbledore's previous question.

"Yes." Dumbledore replied, seeing that it was now only Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, and a man that was even shorter than him that were left in the Great Hall. Ed nodded and then stripped out of his red coat, taking off his black, undercoat as well until he was left with just his tank, leaving his automail gleaming in the candle lit room. Snape did a double take, his eyes going wide, but he tried desperately to play it off. He failed. The short man Ed saw earlier slipped off the chair he was currently tying to pull himself into. Ed passed them looks and they went back to their business.

"Al, you still have that mirror, I need to see the upper-middle-back." Ed asked, and Al nodded, reaching into his suit awkwardly and pulling out a small mirror he acquired a few days ago. He stood behind his brother and held the mirror so that his brother could see the area that he pointed out. Upon seeing the damage, Ed sighed.

"What is it?" Dumbledore asked, curiosity and worry lining his tone.

"It's a quick fix, but it's right by my nerve, which explains the pain. Putting this back in won't be...pleasant. Al, would you?" Ed asked, already masking his face to hide the pain that was sure to come. He had to hurry, if he wanted his arm working properly, the screw would have to be inserted now.

"Alright." Al agreed, though he hated that he would have to be the one to do this. "I'll need a-" Al began , but was cut off by Ed passing him a transmuted, flat head screwdriver. "Thanks. Are you ready?"

"Yes Al, hurry up and do it, we don't have much time." Ed said, already hearing footsteps echo down the hall. Al nodded and had the screw in within seconds, Ed only wincing once when it needed to be tightened. Ed sighed, ignoring the looks he was getting from the teachers, and quickly put his black coat back on, just as the door to the Great Hall opened wider, revealing a hungry looking Harry Potter, followed by his two best friends.

The trio walked in just as Ed was slipping on his red coat, wondering why he took it off in the first place. They took a seat at their house table, and waited patiently for dinner to start.

"Why do you think the Elric's are here early again?" Ron asked, his stomach echoing his voice.

"Dunno." Harry replied, and rested his arms on the table, hoping that the food would be served soon. "Why do you think Dumbledore wanted us in here early?"

"They're probably connected, you want to go ask?" Hermione suggested, not liking the idea of just sitting and waiting while they were all so close.

"Not a chance. You want to know, you go up there and ask them yourself." Ron said quickly, he didn't want to be anywhere near the Elrics, especially not the older one.

"Ron, you big baby. If you don't have the guts, then I suppose I'll go alone. You coming Harry?" Hermione asked, slightly annoyed at Ron.

"Yeah." Harry replied, who was followed by an unwilling Ron who didn't particularly want to be left alone either.

The trio made their way over to Dumbledore and the two Elric brothers. Professor McGonagall walked passed them and left the Great Hall, claiming she had errands to run before the Elrics were introduced.

"Professor Dumbledore, you wanted us here early?" Hermione asked, which sparked Ed and Al's curiosity,

"Yes, I just wanted to make sure you didn't skip out on tonight's supper. I'm introducing both Elrics today and wanted to be sure you would be here to reserve them a seat," Dumbledore explained.

"So we sit with them?" Ed asked, sounding just a bit surprised.

"If you would like, or you may sit at the faculty table." Dumbledore replied, to which Ed nodded.

"So that's all?" Harry asked, wondering why it was so important that he be there just for an introduction he already knew about.

"No, I also wanted to give you this as well. I promised the Elrics that I would help them with some research if they helped out with you, and it might go a bit quicker if we both had a little help." He explained and then handed Harry a library pass.

"A pass to the restricted section?" Hermione asked, her eyes bright with interest, she's been wanting to get her hands on those books since she first laid eyes on the locked door.

"Yes, but please use it wisely." Dumbledore warned, knowing some of those books are in the restricted section for a reason. But, those that are too dangerous for their eyes were stashed away in his office, where they will stay until further use.

"We will, thank you." Harry assured, and then turned to Ed and Al. "If you need any help finding a book, don't hesitate to ask." He said and Ed nodded.

As they walked off, Ed asked, "You sure about this, Old Man?" Dumbledore chuckled and nodded.

"I trust those three to make their own decisions. They, like you, are matured beyond their years. I'm sure they will be able to handle the responsibility. However, that Miss Granger…" Dumbledore joked, and there was a moment of laughter before he continued. "Well now, the students are finally joining us. Why don't you and your brother go help out Minerva until it is time to introduce you two," he finished just as Professor McGonagall walked back into the Great Hall. The boys nodded and went to grab the books that were in the old Professor's hands, knowing they were probably for them anyway. Not sure of where else to put the books, Al secretly stashed them in his armor. Thankfully, no one noticed.

Within minuets, most of the students had piled in, but their confused faces showed that they obviously didn't know about the introduction that would be held before Dinner would be served. Finally, Edward and Alphonse awkwardly took seats next to McGonagall and waited for Dumbledore to begin.

Dumbledore looked from Ed and Al and then back to the students that were waiting eagerly for an explanation as to why dinner hadn't been served yet. Dumbledore took one last glance at the faculty table, his eyes resting on an empty seat just for a moment, before he cleared his throat and silenced the conversations that had already bagan.

"I know that this isn't a planned assembly, but before we dine I have an announcement." Dumbledore began, and hundreds of pairs of eyes rested on the Elric brothers. A flurry of voices rose then, mostly centered around Al, curious as to why he wore a ginormous suit of amour, or if it was just some kind of prop for Ed. However, when Al bent over to whisper something in Ed's ear, that rumor ended, dead in its tracks.. Dumbledore's hand rose slightly and the conversations toned down. "We have two transfers joining us today. However, they will not be students, but instead interns under Professor McGonagall. They will be placed in Griffindor, just as Professor McGonagall, and will have access to the common rooms as such." Dumbledore glanced over to the boys and they stood for a moment, unsure of what else the old man might want them to do. "Please give Mr. Alphonse and Edward Elric a warm, Hogwarts welcome."

There was a bit of cheering after Dumbledore said those words. Much to Ed's annoyance, most of them were girls. The last thing he needed was a band of hormone crazed girls after him or his brother, not that he really needed to worry about Al at the moment. Regardless, it was best avoided

As the clapping and cheering died down, one certain comment made it's way across the room to Edward's keen ears. "He's so short, even by you, Crabbe," came from a skinny boy with platinum blond hair and a sneer set firmly on his face. As he laughed, Al had to hold Ed in his seat, which was struggling to hold the enraged blond. Ed's eyes went from sharp to smoldering and locked straight with the slitherin, who shut up immediately and flinched away from the intensity of Ed's gaze.

Ed calmed down just as Dumbledore signaled for Dinner to be served. As the many plates appeared on the table, Ed and Al cringed back slightly, Ed somehow managing to topple over in his chair.

"Brother?" Al asked, trying to choke back the giggles, but was failing miserably. Ed glared up at him and angrily pushed himself from the floor and corrected himself in the chair.

"Magic, I presume?" Ed grumbled to Professor McGonagall as he inspected his plate. She nodded and explained how the house elves in the kitchen below prepared the food and set identical tables so that they could be transferred up into the Great Hall when it was time. Ed nodded, and seeing as the food didn't totally appear out of thin air, decided it was safe to eat.

* * *

As supper concluded, Dumbledore asked Ed and Al to follow Harry and friends to the Griffindor common room, and also get Harry to show Ed where Harry's classes would be. Ed already caught on to Dumbledore's plans, he wanted Harry protected. He also gave both Ed and Al the opportunity to move about the castle freely, as well as stick around for Harry's classes, if he so wished. Luckily for Ed, Dumbledore hadn't outright asked the brother's for their help. If he would have, no doubt would Al immediately volunteer himself, but Ed didn't want Al put in any more danger than necessary. Also in his favor, was the opportunity to learn a few things. The brothers had nevery really been taught anything but math and science, and that wouldn't get them very far in a world run by 'magic.' Hopefully, they could catch on quickly.

"Harry." Ed said as he caught up with the boy, Al not far behind him. "Dumbledore said something about a tour..."

"A tour?" Harry asked, Dumbledore hadn't mentioned anything about a tour, at least not to him. "Of what?"

"Uh, like the Common room and your classes and stuff." Ed said, feeling a little like an idiot. If Dumbledore would have mentioned that Harry didn't know a thing about it, then he would have just managed on his own.

"Oh, sure." Harry said, relieved that he didn't have to take the two brothers on a tour of the entire school, for that could take hours. With that said, Ed, feeling slightly less like an idiot, followed after Harry.

The trio, which now included Ed and Al, bringing the group count to five, headed out the Great Hall and started on what Ed hoped would be a short tour of the school. It wasn't long after they set off did a conversation start up.

"So, you think we should go to the Common Room first?" Hermione asked. "I wanted to go ahead and give Ginny her notes back."

"Ginny gave _you _notes, Hermione?" Ron asked, his heavy steps echoing through the hall as he moved to get closer to Hermione.

"Ginny?" Ed asked, trying to gather as much information about the students and teachers here as possible.

"My sister." Ron explained.

"You have a sister?" Al asked, curious now.

"Yup, and four brothers." Ron replied and then continued to Hermione, "Since when do you borrow notes from anybody? And from a fourth year?" Al was left speechless, that was a lot of siblings, at least to him.

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes, "Since she was put into my Muggle Studies class, and honestly Ron, it's not impossible for me to miss out on a few notes here and there when my mind is on other things."

"What _other_ things?" Ron asked, which only annoyed Hermione further.

"None of your business." She huffed, though her cheeks slightly reddened. However, before Ron could make another comment, or Harry could stop the argument that was sure to happen, an uninvited guest forced his way into their conversation.

"Oy, Potter, the new interns found themselves in your little group already? What a shame." The platnium blond commented, and Harry's fist clenched together as he tried to controll the little temper he had.

Ed, figuring that Dumbledore wouldn't be too happy if anything happened to Harry while he was around, decided to take this into his own hands. "There something wrong with that?" Ed asked, and focused the full force of his stare onto the boy.

"Not if you want to hang with mud-bloods and weasels." This Malfoy character responded, seemingly unaffected by Ed's intimidation. He swore to himself, if it was because of his height...he would soon fix that problem.

"Get over yourself, Malfoy." Harry retorted, and instinctively went for his wand, as did Malfoy, who also backed away a good few feet, nearer to his companions that Ed hadn't noticed before. A short and stocky one, and then a slighter taller one with just as much beef to his bones. They both looked like they had the brain power of a broken down rock.

"Don't waste your time, Harry. There's other places we should be." Ed warned, and held his hand out to stop Harry from drawing his wand.

"And that's coming from the shrimp that wont let Harry draw his wand?" Malfoy teased, and sneered when he saw Ed tense up. "What's with that face? Are you going to run away crying to your mother because I called you small?" Malfoy finished, already noting Ed's obvious dislike of remarks about his height.

Ed's body untensed, and an unusual calm came over him. He looked at Malfoy and asked, "You want to say something else?" Ed's voice was crisp, something that Malfoy had no words for, and though Malfoy wouldn't show it, the way Ed looked and spoke now sent small shivers down his spine. He was daring Malfoy to go further.

"Yes, actually. What's with that other guy? That you dad or something, is he here to fight your fights for you?" Malfoy asked, and Al made a step forward, but Ed held out his right arm, which stopped Al in his tracks.

"No, keep guessing." Ed said, his voice still taking on that frighteningly dark, crisp tone.

Malfoy's brow furrowed, he wasn't sure what the blond was trying, but he wouldn't let the newcomer win this battle. "Your brother then? If' that's the case he's only in there because he's ashamed of his ghastly looks-" Malfoy commented, but at this Ed lost control of the temper he was allowing to build up.

Ed made a move that appeared to be the beginning of a straight punch in the face, but Ed faked Malfoy out and instead dropped to the floor to do a slide kick, bringing the boy down to the ground before he even knew what happened. Ed then clapped his hands together and transmuted his signature staff from the stone and did a quick, but expertly precise twirl before bringing it down steadily to rest just at the Sltherin's chest. Draco Malfoy was frozen where he sat. "I'll ask you again, would you like to say anything else?"

Malfoy just sat there, in a confused stupor, not able to conjure up any intelligible words. "I didn't think so." Ed muttered and transmuted the staff back into the stone. After a quick glance to the two from his group that were left standing, he walked away without another word.

Al and the others followed after Ed silently, not sure what to say to him.

"Brother..?" Al asked, never seeing Ed handle a situation like this before.

"Hm?" Ed responded, now in a ticked off mood.

"You okay?" Al asked.

"He should be, that was bloody brilliant." Ron commented.

"Whatever." Ed said, crushing the mood.

"What's with him?" Ron whispered to Al, who shrugged. He's never really seen Ed respond like this to anything, usually he just straight out blew up, but he seemed more reserved for some reason with Malfoy.

Ed, hearing this, sighed. "I'm fine. Al?" Ed asked.

"Yes?"

"I need a sparring partner." Ed said, and Al's expression lit up. Harry and the others just looked a bit confused.

"Spar?" Harry asked, never really coming across the term before.

"You'll see." Ed replied, his mood already rising. What better way to let out his frustration than by having a good few rounds with one of the best fighters he knew? "Do you have any large fields around?" Ed asked to Harry, who nodded.

"The quidditch field should be large enough.." Harry replied, even though he still wasn't quite sure what the boys wanted to do.

"Quidditch?" Ed asked, as he followed Harry. However, before Harry could answer, Ed added, "Forget it, I don't even want to know."

Hermione sighed and followed the group of boys out to the quidditch field, hoping she wouldn't get herself into too much trouble with whatever this "sparing" was, also wondering if she was the only sane person in the entire group. As she followed, she noticed that Ed was already in a considerably better mood, compared to how he reacted to Malfoy, or at least he appeared to be. His shoulders were still stiff, and his fist balled up into tight fist, but she wouldn't be able to tell much about him for a few more days. This Edward Elric was heard to read, and his brother, she couldn't even begin to guess.

* * *

**Author Note**: Wow, so I know this chapter was kind of everywhere, but well, this is just how my head told me to write it. Hopefully, with the encounters with Umbridge, Snape , and Malfoy wasn't too much, though. Either way, please Review and tell me what you think. They give me fuel and inspiration of what to write next.

Any ideas? Suggestions? Just drop a review and let me know, I will do my best to take each and every one into consideration add any suggestions into my fic, as long as it's reasonable. XD

Lastly, my next update might not be till the weekend, perhaps later, maybe sooner. I have church tomorrow, and a Dr. apt Thursday. Then this weekend, I have family stuff, so maybe Thursday and Friday afternoon I can get some writing time in.

And just a heads up, the next chapters shouldn't be as jumpy, but a lot of things had to happen this chapter because I plan on making this fic sort of short, so that I can have an Epic sequel. Let me know what you think of that.

With much, much love and thanks,

Eloquent Nocturne

DONT FORGET TO REVIEW! XD

**author note update: **Oct. 7th 2010. Someone let me know in a review that I went from saying Ed wasn't a body guard or babysitter, to him being one, which I am totally grateful for. I'm not perfect, I sometimes make uber mistakes (which is why I'm extremely glad someone let me know.), but I always try to fix them. I went through this chapter and the last to make everything sort of work out better. Hopefully, this explains my intentions better, because going back I feel like an idiot. Thanks to Emememe for letting me know. :)


	6. What Can be Said About a Coward?

**Author Note: **Okay, so quick little note. I will keep most of Harry's classes and dates as things happen fairly close to when they actually happen, but some will have to be changed every now and then to make things make sense.

* * *

A good walk through the school later, and the group had finally made it out to the quidditch field. The setting was perfect, the sun was just setting and there was still just enough light for a quick match, and the two Elric brothers were left grinning at all the many possibilities that this field presented to them.

"This is perfect." Ed said, grinning wider than before.

"It aught to be, it's the largest field on campus." Harry said proudly, as memories of quidditch filled his mind.

"Alchemy, or no alchemy, Brother?" Al asked, growing excited.

"None, _this _time, I don't feel like fixing the damage later." Ed muttered, still thinking to himself. Hermione's eyes lit up in fear, and Harry wondered if he heard him right.

"Damage? _What kind of damage?_" Hermione demanded, fearing for the safety of the school.

Ed, not knowing what her problem was, named the usual as he counted them off in his head, "The most common is usually small fissures in the ground, sometimes large holes. Um, I remember one time we knocked down this building... and then that other, what was it Al?" Ed asked, seemingly unable to recall the memory. Al shrugged, and Hermione was left on the verge of hyperventilation.

"A building, how did you knock down a _building_?" Ron asked, looking at Ed like he was some kind of crazed lunatic.

"Hey Al, wasn't that when we were chasing Ling?" Ed asked, "Or maybe when Scar was chasing us..."

"I'm thinking Ling." Al responded, as if this was a totally normal conversation.

"Don't worry though, your precious school will be fine." Ed said sarcastically, and started walking out a little ways away from Harry and his gang. Al ran to catch up and stood with his brother in the middle of the field.

"So, uh, what exactly are you going to do?" Harry asked, though he was making sure to stay a good few feet away, though he already had a fairly good idea if they could cause enough damage to bring down an entire building.

Ed though for a moment, on the verge of having one his 'brilliant' ideas. "Just a few warm-up exercises, to keep in shape."

"Like...?" Harry persisted, wanting them to be a bit more specific. A horrific image of gym class push ups entered his mind.

"Like..." Ed mirrored, getting a bit annoyed. He was sure Harry wasn't an idiot, and he already had said warm-up's, how specific could you get? At Harry's clueless look, Ed sighed. "Just watch...and back up a few more feet." Harry nodded and did as he was told, ending up back with Hermione and Ron, who decided earlier to get as far away from the Elric's as they could.

"A game, Al?" Ed asked, to which Al responded with an excited grin.

"Which one?" Al asked, curious to see what his brother would come up with. Ed clapped his hands together and put them down on the earth, transmuting the ground beneath into a large, circular, slightly elevated platform.

"First one knocked off looses." Ed explained and then took off his red coat, leaving just the black one. From behind, Harry and the others had no idea what was going on.

"Did the ground..just move?" Ron asked, and pointed to the circular stage looking thing that was once flat.

"That's alchemy, I think." Hermione said, though she was a bit short for words.

"Looks like it, but what are they doing. They aren't wrestling, are they?" Harry asked, to which Ron asked, "Wrestling?"

"A muggle sport where you try to pin your opponent to the ground, but I don't believe so..." Hermione responded, and then eyes wide, shouted, "look!"

The trio was speechless as they watched Edward attack his own brother. Fearing for Al, they froze, but relaxed when Al successfully blocked and delivered his own counter attack, which sent Ed flying through the air.

Harry, reacting upon instinct, reached for his wand, but stopped when Ed erected himself and landed on his toes, going right back on the offensive. "How..?" Harry wondered out loud, but Hermione shushed him.

"Almost!" Ed shouted, just barely managing to land on the very edge of the platform. "But, not quite," He said as he lunged with a high kick, striking Al on the shoulder. Al was knocked back a few feet, but regained his balance soon after and caught Ed's foot, launching him again into the air. Ed maneuvered in a backwards somersault and landed once again on his feet. He sprang up instantly, using Al's shoulder as a support, and flipped sideways to get behind him. Al turned, blocked a series of punches, and then returned some with his own.

"Who you think is going to win?" Ron asked, finally catching on to what the brothers were doing.

"Just watch, Ron." Hermione scolded, and kept her eyes focused on the brothers.

Just a few moments later, and Ed delivered the final kick, successfully knocking Al clean off the platform. However, Ed found himself going down with him, Al somehow catching hold of his foot at the last second.

Seeing that the 'game' was over, the Trio rushed over, fearing that one of them may have gotten injured, none knowing that the only one they really needed to worry about was Ed.

"You did not win!" Ed shouted, stopping the Trio in their tracks. "I knocked you off! That means I won!"

"'Oh C'mon, I pulled you off with me, that makes it a tie!" Al argued.

"The rules were that the first person knock off looses, and that was you." Ed stated, standing up to grab his coat.

"But you fell off too!" Al complained, not wanting to loose this battle.

"Alright," said Hermione, smiling. "Let's not, uh, fight about this," she tried, though was having a little difficulty finding the right wording.

"Yeah, that was amazing," Harry commented, eager now to see what the brothers could really do. They had only seen a short preview, and at this point were at a good loss for words. Before Ed spoke again, he transmuted the ground back to how it originally was.

"It was just a warm-up." Ed replied, now in a calmer mood. It was nice to let some steam out. "And it's something I expect you three to work on." As Ed finished this, three pairs of eyes snapped to his.

"What?" Ron asked, trying not to choke. Ron was a decent wizard, he was even alright at quidditch, but in no way could he ever see himself doing anything like Ed or Al.

"You heard me," Ed said, his mood back to being serious. "Dumbledore wanted me to teach you, and I agreed, but on my own terms."

Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, but both remained silent. Ron, for some odd reason, had suddenly become very talkative.

"And what if those those terms _kill_ us?" He asked, though his voice was strained.

Hermione shifted a bit uncomfortably, not liking the idea of anything excessively physical being involved. "Why can't we just learn the Alchemy?" she asked.

Al switched to student mode, and recited what his teacher had told him many times, "Because to train the mind, you must first train the body."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, not seeing how either were directly related, thinking that a person could be smart, and not have to be physically fit and move like a freaking ninja.

"Exactly what he said," Ed replied, now getting just a bit on the annoyed side. Honestly, it's not like he was speaking in some kind of cryptic code.

"You're insane." Ron finally muttered, to which Ed now smiled a bit too sweetly.

"And you're getting off easy," he retorted, flinching slightly at a few..._unpleasant_ memories of his training.

"Yes." Al agreed, "Compared to our Teacher, you're getting off _very_ easy."

* * *

Nothing more was said on the matter of training for now. Ed wasn't an idiot, he knew they wouldn't like it, and he also knew they would need a few days before it would sink into their thick heads. Either way, these three would learn Alchemy. However, it wasn't going to be easy, something Ed was sure to have to keep reminding them.

They were now coming up to the common room, the sun now officially set, stars replacing it's spot in the sky. They walked to the painting of the Fat Lady and Harry muttered the password. Ed and Al awkwardly followed Harry and the others in, ignoring the fact that all the paintings in the school were a little...off.

"This is where we sleep, just up those stairs in separate dorms. If you ever need us, just look for our year and head for the boy's dorm, there is a spell that won't allow you in the girl's." Harry explained and pointed to the stair case. "This is the main area, there's chess over there, and a notice board opposite of that."

"Alright, and you can just show me your classes tomorrow. Me and Al have a good bit of reading to do before we call it a night."

"Reading, this late? I'm impressed," Hermione teased, not seeing either as the bookworm type, her memory from their early 'warm-up' still fresh in her mind.

"It's only a little past eight..." Ed replied simply. "We can probably get two or three books in before tomorrow morning."

"Three?" Ron asked, trying to do the math in his head. It took him more than a day to get through a couple chapters! Let alone whole books.

"When we were younger, we self taught each other Alchemy, so we read a lot. Two or three books a night is not that odd for us." Al replied, to which Hermione's eyes were left staring wide.

"That's amazing." Hermione muttered, slightly intimidated. All these years she thought she was doing good, but she could never compete with Edward or Alphonse, unless it was with magic.

Ed yawned and stretched out his arms, wincing slightly from bolt near his nerve that Al tightened earlier. "Yeah, well we're going to sleep. See you tomorrow," he said and then he and his brother headed out the common room, off to their own dorm.

Once they left, Hermione said, "They're so laid back, I don't understand how they do it." Harry and Ron shrugged, and the Trio went and separated into their own dorms, ready to call it a night, a long night at that. Mean while, Today's past events kept replaying themselves in Harry's head, adding to the headache he already had from his scar that had been aching since this morning.

"You think Ed's serious, about the training thing?" Ron asked nervously as he was slipping on his pajamas.

Harry, already having enough on his mind, simply nodded and muttered, "yeah." Ron was silent.

* * *

"They're lazy." Ed said as he and his brother entered the privacy of their room. "Honestly, a few warm ups and a couple lessons on self defense won't kill them. At this rate, they wouldn't last five minuets in a real fight," He continued, grabbing a book from the floor and getting comfortable on his bed.

"They're just not use to the life style, and you don't know what they can do with magic." Al inquired, before mirroring his brother, though instead of the bed he kept to the floor, the bed being just a bit too small for his whole, armored suit self. "You don't even know if others around here are trained like we are, for all we know everyone could be like this."

Ed sighed and flipped back to the chapter he was on, the childhood of Nicholas Flamel. The book had taken Edward a lot longer to go through than he expected, but only out of frustration, as he had to keep rereading whole sections. It was all just...irritating. He flipped the page he was skimming and replied, "I don't care what their lifestyle is, if they keep at the rate they're going, alchemy will be useless to them, assuming they even have the brain capacity to understand the basics."

Al sighed and closed his own book, "You shouldn't be so hard on them, they just need time."

Ed grinned, but didn't take his eyes from the page he was on, "I'll be as hard on them as I need to be. I already told them, it's not going to be easy. They're lucky they got us as teachers to teach them alchemy instead of _Teacher. _If that were the case they might actually die.."

Al laughed, but then shuddered, "You know she's going to kill us when we get back."

Ed's grin faded, "Let's not think about that."

"Agreed." Al said, and got back to his book. For a while after that, there was only silence, until it was broken by Ed's light snoring. Al looked up, unable to stop the grin that was appearing as he saw his brother lying there, his book lying open on top his face, one hand still resting on its cover, the other hanging off the side of the bed. "He sleeps so much lately..." Al muttered, and then went back to his own books.

* * *

Ed woke early that next morning, groaning as he got out of bed. "Dammit, Al. I fell asleep again."

"You needed it, relax a little." Al said, really not seeing what the big deal was. Ed grumbled and picked up the book that had, at one point during the night, fallen on the floor.

"Great. I lost my page..." Ed muttered. "Let's go get breakfast before all the kids show up," he said a bit louder, just before grabbing his coat and heading for the door. Al stopped just after.

"Uh, wait, Brother. Dumbledore wants to see me before classes start. He sent a note just before you got up, I think he wants me to help with a few errands." Al explained, which had caught him slightly off guard. For a moment, Ed was shocked. This would be the first time since they arrived that they had been split apart, except for in the library, but that didn't really count.

"Ah- okay." Ed stammered, forcing himself to recompose his features. It wasn't a big deal, really. It was just errands. Besides, it was better than being left babysitting."Well, if you need me, just look for Harry. I'm going ahead." Ed finished and then walked out the door, heading by himself down the corridor to the Great Hall.

Ed was glad the walk to the Great Hall wasn't a long one, because the echoing of his footsteps on the hard stone were starting to unnerve him. He already knew he would be separated from Al for a while, something he tried to avoid, unless the situation was dangerous, but yet, he didn't want to be reminded of it with every lonely, echoing step he took. Sure, he did ask Dumbledore to keep him busy, but that didn't necessarily mean calling him out first thing in the morning. Ed sighed, it was something he would have to get use to. And just because Al was busy now, didn't mean it would stay that way all day.

- O.O -

Ed was surprised when he walked into the Great Hall, seeing that it was already packed with students. Confused, he took out his pocket watch, checked the time, and then muttered to himself, "Damn."

_I read the time wrong..._

Annoyed with himself, Ed walked quickly over to the table Harry would be at, ignoring the stares from Draco and fellow Slytherins that were stabbing into his back. One he found Harry, he took a seat, greeting everyone with a small nod.

"Edward, we didn't think you were coming, where's your Brother?" Hermione asked, knowing that she couldn't possibly miss a giant suit of armor if he were here.

"Errands." Was Ed's simple reply. He reached for a mostly empty plate and filled it with dishes that looked similar to those in Amestris, sticking with the basics of Eggs and bacon.

"Who's the blonde?" Asked a redhead that was sitting just opposite of Ed. Ron, who was sitting uncomfortably next to Edward, answered, "That's Edward, he's McGonagall's new intern. Ed, this George, my brother."

Ed nodded, but didn't say anything, until another sat down beside George. "You have a twin?" Ed asked, though his voice didn't show much interest, just mild curiosity, he was already in a bad mood.

"Bingo, Mate. And I thought blondes were slow." Fred teased. "Just kidding, I'm Fred." He said, after receiving an intense glare from Edward, who wasn't in the mood for sarcasm. He got enough of that from Mustang back home to last him a lifetime.

"I feel bad for him, Fred." George said, deciding to update Fred on the newcomer, "Edward, here, is going to be McGonagall's intern. He won't last a week." The twins grinned. Ed sighed.

"Please, call me Ed." He said, before adding, "And trust me, she isn't a tenth as strict as my Teacher." The twins shrugged, figuring that he would find out on his own, and went back to eating. "Didn't you say you had a sister?" Ed asked a bit later, just about to leave. He didn't see anyone here that could have been her, though maybe she was too young to attend school yet, or older and had graduated.

"Yeah," Ron replied, "But she left just before you got here. She had to go to an early class."

"I see..." Ed said, and stood up, followed shortly by Harry, who could tell that he was ready to leave.

"I'm going to go ahead, to make sure Ed can get to my first class." Harry explained and was mirrored by Hermione, who had been ready to leave as well.

"I'm coming with you. Ron, just meet us when you're done." Hermione said, and followed the two out the Great Hall, leaving Ron to eat in peace.

- (-_-) -

Once Ed, Ron and Hermione were out, they headed off to Harry's first class. Once they found themselves going down a stair case to the basement, Ed got a little curious. "You have classes...down here?" He asked skeptically.

"Are you really that surprised?" Harry asked, grinning.

"Not really." Ed admitted, "But I'm still curious."

"Our potions class is down here, though, why Professor Snape likes to hold classes in an old dungeon is beyond me." Hermione said, and Ed could sense her distaste for the man. Remembering him from the library, he could understand why.

"Creepy men usually like creepy places." Ed commented matter-of-factly, putting his hands in his pockets.

Harry and Hermione laughed, and then Harry said, "Yeah, tell me about it. You should just be glad we don't have history of magic today, that class would bore you to tears."

"I'm sure all these classes will bore me to tears." Ed said, honestly wishing he could be anywhere else, just as they were approaching the door.

"Probably." Harry agreed and Hermione scowled.

The three took seats toward the middle of the left sections of desk, where Ed had just learned was where most of the Griffindors sat, so that they wouldn't have to mingle with the Slytherins on the other side. There were only a few others in the room, early like them, so Harry and Hermione didn't bother with getting set up just yet. They placed their books down and relaxed in their seats, waiting on Ron to join them.

"You're here rather early, Potter." Draco said, just entering the classroom along with Crabbe and Goyle. Once Draco laid eyes on the blonde sitting next to Harry, his gloved hands resting behind his neck, he froze, but only for a moment.

"Your point?" Harry retorted, and turned in his seat, ignoring the platinum blonde behind him. Enraged, Draco scowled and reached in his pocket for his wand. Ed, turning at the last second, got up and stood between the two.

"Don't even think about it." Ed said, but Draco's hand continued to pull out his wand. "I'm warning you now, move it, and I'll cut your precious_ stick_ in two."

Draco scoffed, "Really now, with what? Just because you got lucky once, doesn't mean I'll let you get that chance again."

"Stop being a prick, Malfoy." Harry said, getting out of his seat and stepping out from behind Ed, who at this point was wondering where the heck Snape was. Didn't he have a class to teach, or something?

"Nice one Potter, why don't you get the mudblood to help you with the next one." Draco retorted, Hermione tensed in her seat, but didn't take action. Harry, enraged, went for his own wand, but again Ed held him back. "It's funny Potter, I knew you were a coward, but I didn't know you'd resort to having a shorty back you up."

Ed tensed, his eyebrow starting to twitch. "I'm surprised you're still talking. Didn't you get the message last time? I don't play around." Ed replied, struggling to keep his anger under control.

"Neither do I." Draco argued, sounding like pouting child. Ron walked in a moment after, confused at the scene before him, wondering how a fight was starting this early in the morning.

Ed smirked, "You'll have to excuse me if I haven't figured that one out yet, because your actions don't match your words."

"He'll always be nothing more than a coward." Harry commented, tired of Draco's games, and turned to retake his seat.

"How dare you?" Draco demanded, and went to cast a jinx. However, before Draco could aim his wand, Edward had already transmuted his arm into a sword. Draco, caught off guard by what he'd just seen, wavered just long enough for Edward to make a clean cut, leaving one half of Draco's wand falling to the floor. Horror struck, all Draco could do was stare at the other half of his now severed wand.

Once the situation had been resolved, Edward transmuted his arm back to normal, and repaired his glove so that he could slip it back on. "I told you not to move that worthless piece of stick you call a wand." Ed said calmly, turning to face the fuming Malfoy.

"You...what did you do?" Draco yelled and then ordered Crabbe to pick the other end off the floor, the three Slytherins still in shock. Harry, Ron and Hermione fought the urge to gawk at him, holding in laughter at the same time.

"What does it look like?" Ed asked rethorically, which only made Draco's anger rise. "Are you really this slow, or did severing your wand cause you to loose a few brain cells?"

"You're out of your mind, do you have any idea what you've done?" He yelled back, though Ed just stared at him with expressionless eyes, already tired of hearing the boy whine.

"You got what you deserved. Harry's right, you're just a coward, advancing when your opponent's back is turned." Ed said, and then went to take his seat, leaving the other students to stare at his back.

Draco, seemingly at a loss of more insults, stormed out the dungeon with Crabbe and Goyle behind him. Ed sighed.

"Those three are getting on my nerves." Ed said, and leaned back heavily in his chair, resting his feet casually on the table. Hermione was left speechless. "Are they always that childish?"

Harry sniggered and Ron went to take a seat on the other side of Harry. "Worse." Ron replied, "Yet always just as annoying. You wouldn't believe what Hermione did one time, best day I can remember..."

Hermione blushed and threw her hands over Ron's over talkative mouth, stopping him from saying anything else, though that only made Ed more curious.

"You might as well tell me now." Ed said, his grin quickly returning, yet Hermione just shook her head 'no' and made herself busy by taking out her notes and jotting a few things down. Ed eyed Ron, who wasn't just going to let Hermione get out of this one.

"She punched him right in the face." Ron said, to which Hermione squeaked. Ed nearly fell out his chair, not expecting that at all, hardly able to hold in a huge fit of laughter.

"Ron! You traitor!" Hermione yelled, but really, she wasn't all that mad.

"Congratulations, Granger. I didn't know you had something like that in you." Ed said, the look of shock still on his face, though anyone could tell he was teasing, which only made Hermione's blush redden considerably.

"It was a long time ago..." Hermione muttered, and then went back to her notes. Luckily, she was saved from further interogation when Snape finally walked in, three very annoying Slytherins in step behind him, and he didn't look happy.

Snape walked over to the table where the Trio and Ed were sitting, and said, "You four, come with me." Draco sniggered as he walked passed them, on the way to take his own seat. "Now," the greasy haired professor demanded.

* * *

**Author Note:** So yeah, that's it for this chapter. Sorry about the cliffy, but it was getting a bit on the long side and I was ready to get this chapter over with. Stitll, it's a good 4k words, so it should pass length wise.

Also, I don't have any time to proof read right now, because it's late and I'm tired, so I will go and look over it later, or maybe now, Idk.

Please, if you have read up to this point, drop me a review, and let me know how much this chapter rocked or totally sucked. Any suggestions? You can tell me that too, just hit the little button at the bottom of the page. You know it's tempting, and it helps me out more than you know.

Not only is it a major confidence booster or a much needed wake up call, they all help make this story better, and I really do take all your considerations, praises, and critiques to heart, so you're not wasting time writing a review that no one cares about. Trust me, I care.

Anyway, thank's so much for reading this far, it means so much too me. Writing is my passion, and I'm gald I have the opportunity to share my work with you, even if it is _just_ a fanfic.


	7. Provoked

**Author Note: **Just want to put a quick word out there. I messed up a bit on the plot. On one chapter, I wrote that Dumbledore only wanted Ed and Al to teach the trio alchemy, and not be "babysitters" or body guards. I meant to write more in to sort of imply that Dumbledore still would like Ed to keep a bit of an eye out for Harry and the others, though I sort of messed up. This is because I honestly forget what I write sometimes, or get stuff confused. I sort of put a lil in there to hint at that when I said something about them maybe learning something, and stopping by Harry's classes to 'help him out.' Or at least I think I did..my mind is a bit of a crazy thing. I'm really sorry, but I am going to go and fix it.

But...just to put it out there..in case you don't feel like going back and seeing what I changed, it goes a little like this.

Dumbledore hints at wanting Ed to watch over Harry. Ed catches on, but is a bit suspicious. He goes along with it for now, but plans on having a long talk with the old wizard.

Sorry for the confusion. Really, really sorry.

Oh, just a reminder. No one paired with Ed. Nada, unless Winry somehow makes an appearance. Which is unlikely.

* * *

Snape led the four out into the hall, just far enough so that the other student's would be out of hearing distance. Harry crossed his arms as they stopped, knowing that this wouldn't end well. Hermione fiddled with her thumbs and Ron stared at the ground, away from Snape's glare. Ed sighed and leaned against the wall, all the while thinking that the wizards before him were pansies, including the _'professor'_.

"Explain yourselves," Snape demanded, his voice just as venomous as his eyes, though they were both mostly aimed at Harry.

"Draco was-" Harry began, but was immediately interrupted by Snape.

"I did not ask about Draco, now did I, Potter? I only assumed I made myself clear," he said, and then took a brief pause. "Now, let us try this again. Explain _yourselves._"

Before Harry could speak, Ed said, "There's nothing to explain. Draco was a coward and got what was coming for him."

"I don't believe I asked you." Snape said, his glare now turning to Ed, who just stared at him with those blazing, golden eyes of his. Snape didn't stand a chance.

"And I don't remember you ever specifying who the subject of this conversation was." Ed retorted, using equal sarcasm. "I take full responsibility for what happened back there. Leave them out of it," Ed demanded, which surprised Harry and the others, especially Hermione, who didn't see Ed as the type to take the blame. For a while Snape was silent, which left Ed impatiently tapping his foot while Snape gathered his thoughts. "Really, this is going nowhere," Ed finally said and began walking off. "I'm going find Al."

Ed left the others standing in shock, each sharing the same thought. _What was up with him?_

_-.-.-.-.-.-  
_

Al was busy in the library. Dumbledore had asked him to find a few books, but now that his errand was for the most part finished, the younger Elric felt that there was much more research to be done. He wasn't ready to go back to his brother just yet, not when there was a title nagging at the back of his mind. _If only he could remember what that title was..._

"Hey, Al, what're you doing in here?" Ed asked, to which Al reacted with a violent jerk.

"Edward..." Al stated briskly, still recovering from the shock

"Al?" Ed asked, confused. Why were they having this conversation? Waiting on Al, Ed grew impatient, so he rummaged through the books he had stacked in a neat pile. As he scanned the titles, his brows furrowed...and eventually Ed's temper flared. With an annoyed sigh, Ed dropped one of the books on the ground, not caring about it's condition.

"Brother!" Al said, not believing how Ed was acting. He scrambled to the books and collected them gingerly. "What was that for?"

Ed remained silent for a moment, until the silence grew awkward. "These books..." Ed began. "With all that's going on, Dumbledore wanted you to gather books about sweets?" Those in hearing distance suppressed laughter, which only added to Ed's annoyance.

"That's not all!" Al whined, defending Dumbledore. "There are more...in storage." Al claimed, referring to the hallow suit of armor he was bound to. Ed sighed. "Besides, I'm looking for a book of my own," Al explained, his tone much more serious.

Ed glanced around them impatiently and bent down to Al's level as he sat on the floor, "About..?"

Al, in a hushed tone he was sure no one could hear but Ed, he answered, "Human transmutation."

With the news, Ed almost lost his balance, the shock being more than he imagined. He didn't have any hopes of finding a book remotely close to the alchemy back home, yet if Al ran into a book on human transmutation... "Care to explain?" Ed asked hurriedly, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the two weren't being overheard. It was a bad habit, but a useful one.

And so Al explained, saying that he came across and old, leather bound book and when he skimmed it, he could have sworn that the saw something about human transmutation. Ed asked, almost furiously, why he didn't snag the book, but Al apologized, explaining that he meant to, but took the wrong book by mistake. Now, he wasn't quite sure where it was.

"Why don't you just check number on the other book? The one you were looking for should be next to it, right?" Ed asked, hoping that Al still had that book.

Al mentally slapped himself, wondering why he hadn't thought of it before. "That could work, would you go and get it out our room, please?" Al asked, picking up the last of the books he had to check out. "In the mean time, I'll get these to Dumbledore."

"Fine, just hurry up." Ed sighed and made his way out the library, talking a quick glance at his brother on the way out.

* * *

Ed opened the door to his room with a soft creek and headed over to the table next to Al's bed. On it was the book that his brother mentioned, just where he said he'd left it. "Magical Me.." Ed muttered, glancing at the title with mild curiosity. He turned it over and glanced at the back, but immediately could tell the author was, well... fake. "And Al took _this_ book?" Ed said aloud, thinking to himself as he sighed. _Interesting, _Ed thought.

On the way back, Ed bumped into one of the students, knocking the books out of her hands. The girl bent over and muttered something under her breath, which Ed took as a sign of frustration.

"Sorry." Ed muttered, and shifted down slightly so he could reach a book that somehow managed to fly over his head.

"Just watch where you're going..." The girl said, though her tone wasn't exactly meant to be mean, just slightly annoyed. Then she glanced up to see who bumped into her. For a second she looked stunned, expecting to see the average wizard, with a black robe and such. Instead, she saw a mix of gold and red, and way more than the average Gryffindor wore. "You're...new?" She asked. Ed wondered how she couldn't know that already, having being introduced already in front of the whole school.

"Edward Elric, Professor McGonagall's intern," was Ed's reply, to which the girl almost burst into laughter. She grinned and then took the book from Ed. Ed's eyes focused, something under the girl's sleeve caught his eye, though only for a moment before it was covered with her movement. He pushed the thought aside.

"I'm Ginny Weasly. I'm sure by now you've met my brother-"

"Ron?" Ed interrupted. "Yeah, I met him." Ed smirked, until his eyes caught another look at what was under her sleeve. An odd shaped scar maybe...but it was still red, as if the wound was just recently made.

"What's that?" Ed asked, blunt as usual. He pushed back Ginny's sleeve faster than she could protest and stared in confusion at what was etched into her skin. "I must not talk back?"

Ginny jerked away and rubbed her hand tenderly. Ed could tell the mark still caused her pain. "I had detention. Umbridge, I'm surprised you don't already know." She said this as if it were the most obvious reason in the world, though it make absolutely no sense to Ed.

"That doesn't explain why you have that carved into your skin." Ed said, he could feel his anger rising, though not at Ginny. "Explain."

Ginny sighed, "Detention. If you say something Umbridge doesn't like, she makes you write with this cured quill. Whatever you write... well, it turns out like this." She gestured to her hand. Ed's eyes hardened.

"And this is legal, how?" Ed asked, wondering how something like this could be allowed. Was the old man insane? "Dumbledore allows this?" Ed asked, desperately trying to keep his temper under control for the bazillionith time that day.

Ginny was silent for a moment. Her expression was almost pained, though it switched from anger to sadness and outright annoyance quite a bit. "Dumbledore can't do a thing about it. The ministry put Umbridge in charge, so she basically dictates the school. What she says goes, and right now the odds aren't good. Dumbledore's power over his own school is hardly more than any of the professors."

"I see." Ed grumbled. It made sense, sort of. He would have to find out just what the ministry was, though he had the general idea. "Excuse me." That said he raced down the hall, _Magical Me_ held tightly to his side, as if that would ease the stress.

* * *

Ed walked up to Al, who was waiting by the entrance, books no longer in his hands. "I got your book." Ed said, and walked past, on the way to the check out desk. He was in a bit of a hurry. Ed needed to speak with Dumbledore. Now. Once the book was dropped in the return slot, Ed turned and said, "Hurry and find that book so we can go. I have to... have somewhere to be." Al didn't seem to notice the little slip of, which Ed was grateful for.

"About that..." Al started, and Ed sighed, resisting the urge to take the nearest book and go physco shorty on everyone in sight, instantly knowing what Al was about to say.

"You found it while I was gone?" Ed guessed, an unusual calm over taking his features.

"Yep." Al muttered.

_Clink_. The sound echoed throughout the nearly empty library, loud and eerie. Ed had kicked Al, not that it really did much damage... Al snickered, more amused than offended. They exited the library, Ed in a foul mood after wasting time and seeing Ron's sister, and Al still snickering in the background.

"I have an errand of my own, just came up." Ed muttered, trying to make it sound casual. He didn't want Al involved in this. The more he wasn't aware of, the better. Ed felt he was too young for this type of corruption, though he found this reasoning ironic compared to all the two have been through. All they witnessed. "I'll meet you back in the room in about an hour. See what you can find in that book, will ya?" Ed asked, though his words were a bit rushed, strained. Al sensed that something was up, but couldn't quite place it. Instead of questioning his brother, however, Al just nodded and did as he was asked. They parted ways there, each heading down the opposite end of the corridor, off to different destinations.

_At least Al has it easy this time..._ Ed thought, knowing already that he would have to ask Dumbledore about more than just the Umbridge problem. He would have to ask about Harry, something which he definitely did not want to do. But in his position, it was all he could do to try and get them home quicker, and perhaps even find a way to get Al's body back in the process. Ed could only hope.

* * *

**Author Note: **Yeah, late update. I know.

I haven't had much time to right, and I've kinda been having an icky case of writers block. Seriously, it's the devil. Anyway, I left this chapter short so I could hurry up and update. Please review. Flames, critiques, virtual cookies, and the like, They are all welcome. I need to know that I'm not totally screwing this up.

Anyway, if anyone had noticed that in the title of the chapters how I always seem to have something about 'Truth' in there..well there's a reason. Mostly just cuz it started with Truth, and I thought it would sorta be a good little thing to keep. Some of the titles are cheesy, yes, but I never really was good at thinking of titles, or names, or the like.

As always, it's my joy to write, and my goal to get better. So please, drop a review, give me some advice so that I can hopefully learn a thing or two.

Love you guys!


	8. Accusations

**Author Note: **

**Thank you, Blackwolf2dragoon, for letting me know that I still spell minute wrong. :) Hopefully I'll catch it next time. Also, the entrance to the Headmaster's office is a little fuzzy when it's explained, so I'm going to MIGHT have to kind of edit it a bit to have it help out our little Alchemist.**

**Warning: Possible spoilers from the 6th and 7th HP book and obviously the fifth.. and the ones before.. and well just about anything from FM at random.**

**Also, as to how exactly Horcruxes are made, I have to sort of bend the rules a bit. I don't find it terribly important to have ALL the ends fit together and make perfect sense, so if there are any questions that are bugging the heck out of you, then review or pm me and I will explain my reasoning. **

**Oh, by the way.. I know I switch A LOT between calling Ed Edward and Ed, but I can't help it. Sticking to one just doesn't work for me. ;)**

**I am also forced to interpret Nicolas Flamel's looks to fit the fic. It never said how he looked, so I may or may not give him specifics...and well you'll see.  
**

* * *

Ed walked immediately to Dumbledore's office, ignoring Harry and the others completely as he walked past them in the hall. It was nothing personal, he was just in a hurry. It wasn't until he arrived to the entrance of the Headmasters office, did he realize that there would be a slight problem with getting in. He tried the password that McGonagall used before, but got no response out of the stone gargoyle. He then rubbed at his temples and decided to wait, hoping that one of the professors would walk by and open up the passage for him. A few minutes later and he was already twitching.

"I tried your way, old man." Ed muttered and then faced the wall just next to the gargoyle. "Time for mine." Ed clapped his hands together and slapped them on the wall, causing a narrow archway to appear. He slipped inside and sealed up the hole he created. Now that he was in, he glanced up. There were the stairs, but they were no longer moving like they usually did, would they take him to the top the top of the tower? He started his climb, grumbling as he saw the stairs ended about half way up.

"This is going to end up being more trouble than it's worth," Ed said, and transmuted the wall next to him into another platform to bring him the rest of the way up. He reached the top in no time, his grin smug and full of mirth.

Ed walked to the double doors and barged right in, glad to see that the Headmaster had no visitors. Dumbledore glanced up from his paperwork, surprise clearly visible in the old man's eyes. "Edward..."

"Yeah, we need to talk." Ed said, getting down to the point before taking a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk.

Before any productive conversation could be held, Dumbledore insisted that Ed told him how exactly he managed to get into his office. He changed the password only moments before, and any of his professors would have alerted him first if they were to let anyone in at this time.

"Alchemy. No big deal." Ed replied, his words were still rushed. "But that's not the point, we _need _to talk."

Dumbledore, sensing the young lad's urgency, decided to put down his quill and hear him out. "Please continue, then, Mr. Elric." Ed almost twitched, why was the old man still being so formal? It irritated him, but he didn't comment.

"First, I want to know why the hell that Umbridge woman is going around and forcing her magic on other students." Ed said, not even bothering to hide his anger. He was the head of the school, it was his responsibility to make sure that his students weren't being bullied and tortured by his own staff.

Dumbledore blinked, taken back by what Edward said. He was silent for a moment and his expression saddened. "I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about that right now." Ed's eyes went from sharp to smoldering, flaming with intensity. His fist clenched like they always did when his emotions were high.

"What kind of answer is that?" Ed yelled, though got no reaction from Dumbledore, who's expression was that of deep understanding. It hid the pain well. Even Edward couldn't fish the sadness out from behind it.

"I know this will be hard for you to believe, but I can not oppose that woman too strongly." Dumbledore said, fingering his quill like he couldn't decide weather he wanted to leave it on his desk or hold it in his hand. Before Edward could object, he added, "Our government here, the Ministry of Magic, is already against me. They don't want me here, thinking that I'm turning against them. As it stands, I'm not far away from being replaced, which is why they sent Dolores."

"So basically, you're protecting your job?" Ed questioned, his voice accusing him more than his words. Dumbledore's own temper welled at that moment, but he kept it in check. He knew Ed meant well, he did. Though the boy was proving hard to persuade because of his own false, and often snap accusations.

"No, I'm protecting Harry, and all the other students that would be in danger should Voldemort hear of my dismissal. He wouldn't dare challenge me, knowing that I currently hold an advantage, but if I were to be replaced...Voldemort would make his move," Dumbledore explained, choosing his words carefully. Ed's hardened expression softened, but his eyes were still intense.

"And I'm guessing that's why you're keeping me and my brother around?" Ed asked. Dumbledore nodded hesitantly.

"I would like your help, yes." Dumbledore agreed. "However, even if the danger between Harry and Voldemort were eliminated, I would still uphold my offer to help you and your brother get home."

Ed nodded, his temper just about diminished. "I understand." Ed said, a grin slowly returning to his face, though why, Dumbledore couldn't imagine. He briefly considered writing up St. Mungo's...

"Edward..?" Dumbledore asked, seeing that his expression was becoming more and more spaced out, his grin growing wider still.

Still in a grinning stupor, Ed asked, "You wouldn't mind if I took a few matters into my own hands, would you, Sir?" Dumbledore couldn't help but passing on an amused grin, resting his chin on his unoccupied hand. For once, Edward's tone wasn't insulting.

Seeing no sign of protest, Ed got up and left the headmasters office, not even waiting on a reply. He climbed down the stairs, noting happily that they were at the top of the tower waiting for him, and then sprinted out the passage and down the hall. He had work to do.

* * *

"You know," Harry said. "That's the second time I saw him run past us today."

Ron and Hermione nodded their heads in agreement, watching Edward sprint down the hall, off to who knows where. They wondered if it was because of his brother, but honestly, who really knew?

"You think he's running from someone, or to?" Ron asked casually, already they could tell Edward was the type of person to be in a constant state of motion, whether physically or mentally.

"Considering he's completely hardheaded, I'd say to." Hermione replied, matter of factly. "Now, come on, stop wasting time." Ron sighed and Harry nodded, following Hermione. They had a D.A. meeting to plan out before their own lesson's with Edward, and between classes would be their only time.

* * *

Ed was once again given some motivation, some steam to keep him going. Finally, he had something _fun_ to do! He had a side goal: to traumatize this Umbridge woman into leaving Hogwarts. The grin returned to his lips.

He hadn't exactly figured out how yet, that planning would take a few days of good observation. He would make it a priority to learn as much about this woman as he could, and then...well he'd do what he did best.

"Sabotage," Ed said to himself. The word rang throughout the corridor in a whispered rhythm. He would enjoy this.

It wasn't long before Ed had met up with Al, who was sitting on the floor, already halfway through the book. Even at first glance, Ed could tell his brother was in deep concentration.

"How's it going?" Ed asked, taking a seat next his brother and grabbing the book he was reading the night before. He resisted the urge to sigh as he flipped to the last page he was on. Nicolas Flamel... This book that caused him so much frustration was about a guy who used _magic_ to create a philosophers stone... lived for hundreds of years, used no sacrifice, and then according to Dumbledore destroyed the stone and died a few short years ago. Simple to map out, but impossible to understand, because to Ed, none of it made sense!

"I'll tell you when I find out.." Al grumbled, clearly not in a good mood.

"I'm assuming what's in that book completely ignores all laws of physics, equivalent exchange, and every other common law known to man?" Ed asked casually, and Al nodded.

Al flipped through a few more pages in silence and then closed the book. "I don't get it."

Ed did the same and then yawned, stretching out his arms in the process. "Tell me about it..." he said, and then went to lounge on his bed.

Al crossed his arms, still sitting Indian style. "There's some terms that I never heard of, and they only provide a brief description. Like this one..." Al said, and picked the book back up off the floor, flipping to a specific page. "A horcrux."

Ed sat up, showing slight interest. "Horcrux?"

"Yes, it explains what a horcrux is, but the content surrounding it doesn't make sense," Al said, and Ed could faintly make out the features on Al's armor twisting up.

_Probably from frustration,_ Ed thought.

"Read it," Ed said, and moved so that he was now in a full sitting position, his legs hanging off the side of the bed with his feet almost touching the floor.

"It's from the view point of the author, an excerpt from his journal or something," Al said and Ed nodded. Al then pointed to a spot on the page and began reading, "I then came across an item called a horcrux, an object in which a fraction of one's soul lies dormant after taking the life of another, hoping to gain immortality by not having to rely on a mortal body. It is a process many do not speak of, much like_ human transmutation_ in reserving human life. A taboo."

Al looked at his brother, who was frozen in his spot, his eyes unseeing. After a moment, Ed's eyes refocused and his body relaxed. "Does it mention anything on human transmutation?" he asked and Al nodded.

"Not really, only a short passage that passes it off as nothing more than a belief. Nothing but printed text," Al said. He then flipped to another page and handed Edward the book. "However, this is found on the next page, after the passage about the horcrux."

Edward stared at the page in disbelief. An array, much like the one used in human transmutation, was roughly sketched out. There were differences, that much Ed pointed out right from the start, almost like it was a blend of the alchemy he used to attach his brother's soul to the suit of armor and the one he drew on the floor of his charred basement. "No way..." Ed muttered, and immediately shut the book, turning it to its side. Nicolas_ Flamel._

"What is is?" Al asked, now curious in the side of the book.

"It's by Nicolas Flamel.." Ed said and then picked up his other book, an autobiography of the same author. Al could see the signs, his brother had a theory. "The reason none of this book made sense was because it all seemed too familiar. I guess I just refused to make the connection...but it's there."

Al just stared at him with a blank expression, even for him. He wasn't following. Ed sighed. "There all small hints all throughout this book about where this guy, Nicolas, came from, and what he bases his own theories on. From what he describes, it seems that he comes from perhaps the early remnants of Xerxes of Amestris and most of his very first theories are based on alchemic equations that I've seen before...like this one." Ed said, and showed the page to Al.

Al glanced at the page, seeing an incomplete equation for turning lead, and other bare elements into gold. "Impossible. It's almost exactly the same."

"That's what I thought!" Ed yelled, now deeply annoyed.

_That conversation with Truth..._Ed thought. _He mentioned something about others passing through the gate into this world, and that Al and I weren't the first. Could Nicolas really be an Amestrian? A Xerxesian_? _From the Eastern borders or possibly of some strange mix of the three? Though most of the signs pointed towards Xerxes..  
_

It was now all becoming possible in some sick, twisted way. If it were true, then what did Nicolas do to open the gate in the first place?

"But Brother, if that's true and Nicolas really did create a Philosophers stone, then why didn't he use it to get back to the other side, that doesn't make sense either?" Al said. Unlike his brother, who's gears were turning rapidly, Al was deeply confused.

It took a while for Ed to respond, he wanted to make sure that all the strings tied together with his theory. "He wanted immortality," Ed replied and then tossed his book to Al. "In that book, Nicolas remarks that his goal was to gain immortality by drinking something called the Elixir of Life, which could only be created using the Philosopher's stone. Assuming Truth was just as much of a bastard back then as he is now, then he wouldn't willingly allow him to pass through the gate _and _gain something that would completely cancel out equivalent exchange."

"I guess that makes sense...but couldn't Nicolas just use the stone again? How does that even work?" Al asked, trying to piece all this information together, but there were just too many holes for it to all make sense.

"I don't know Al." Ed sighed. "It's all guesswork, but maybe a stone that isn't powered by human life, human souls, just isn't as powerful. The stone that fake prophet used back in Lior wouldn't be strong enough to bypass all the laws of equivalent exchange because it wasn't complete, I guess it just- uh." Ed was cut off, there was knocking on the door.

Al got up and opened the door, revealing three curious wizards on the other side. Ed glared at them, already in a foul mood...but that wasn't all that bothered him. Had they heard anything?

"Uh- Professor McGonagall sent us to come get you. Transfiguration is about to start," Harry said, passing a nervous glance from Edward to the book in Al's hand. Ed's fist clenched, but then relaxed.

_Crap.._

"Alright, let's go Al," Ed said lazily, making Harry and the others wonder if that meant Edward had realized they were eavesdropping or not. It's not like they heard anything useful, but it was still a bad idea to get on this blonde's bad side.

The Elric's followed Harry as he led them into a full classroom, the boys wondering just what they'd gotten themselves into. Their focus was on a cat sitting stiffly on top of what the brothers assumed was the Professor's desk.

"The old lady has a cat?" Ed asked, a bit louder than necessary. A few students held in laughter, Hermione shook her head.

"Uh, no mate. She-" Ron began, but was cut off when the cat jumped from the desk and transformed back into a human, Professor McGonagall. No one seemed to notice the faint yelp coming from one of the Elric brothers.

"Welcome, Mr..." McGonagall said, looking straight at where Edward _was _standing, but she stopped herself. Ed had been in so much shock that he was now lying on the floor, frozen in an odd pose, twitching slightly. Al was standing over his brother, his hand held to cover where his mouth should be, trying to hold in smug giggles. For once, it was not Al who was scared witless.

"What...the hell?" Ed muttered, his body still sprawled out of the floor, slowly relaxing. The room was silent.

"Language, Mr. Elric." McGonagall said sternly, but said nothing else on the matter, and retreated to the other side of the room, a mischievous grin visible only to those who knew her well enough to see beyond her stern mask.

Eventually, Ed had recovered enough to stand up and demand an explanation. McGonagall explained that she was an animagus, a witch who could transform into an animal at will. Ed commented at how it just wasn't natural and Minerva chuckled, saying that _magic_ wasn't _natural_, and that it was time to come to terms with that fact.

"So what do you want us to do..." Edward asked hesitantly, Al nodded his head encouragingly.

McGonagall turned to her class, which consisted of Slitherins to her left and Griffindors to her right, along with a few other students from Ravenclaw mixed in. They waited in silence, Harry and friends in the front, deciding that these Elrics were amusing to watch.

For the moment, McGonagall ignored Ed's question and spoke to the class. "How many of you in here are familiar with Alchemy?" She asked, having only scarcely mentioned it herself, only when asked, as there was little information known about the science. Hesitantly, a few student's raised their hands. "Good, then the majority of you all will not be completely lost. Alphonse, would you mind giving us a brief explanation?"

Alphonse froze, not expecting to be called out. Usually, it was his older brother who did stuff like this. Naturally, that's who people first called on, the oldest. Before Al got the chance to answer, Ed questioned, "I thought we were interning for this 'transfiguration' stuff, and not the other way around, _Professor_."

McGonagall nodded her head slightly, "Yes, but it would help if we were all on slightly the same page, yes? A learning experience for us all. Now, Alphonse?"

"Yes Ma'am!" Alphonse said immediately, forgetting that he was called on already. "Alchemy is the science of transmuting one object into another using the principle of equivalent exchange, meaning that to obtain, something of equal value must be lost," Alphonse explained, as if it was a line he regularly rehearsed.

"Thank you, Alphonse. Now, transfiguration is just the same... though with less, guidelines." McGonagall explained. Ed looked at her skeptically, not liking one word she said. If what she said were true, then it just about threw away all the pride of being a skilled alchemist, of knowing off the base elements, even more, and memorizing all the arrays and equations. _Those damn sticks, _Ed thought bitterly. "Today, I believe it will be a good lesson if we both demonstrate examples of what we can do, then perhaps we combine our knowledge. A project, perhaps" The students groaned, not wanting any more work to do.

"...okay." Ed agreed, not seeing much harm as long as none of these students were actually trying any form of alchemy for themselves, at least not without the proper training.

"I will go first, and then have a student follow after me, is that alright?" McGonagall asked, to which the brothers silently agreed. With a flick of her wand, she transfigured the nearest desk, empty of coarse, into a chair. The brothers were impressed, and luckily, Ed was taking it in much better, now that people weren't turning into animals, or the opposite.

"That was amazing," Alphonse said, finding it different to see it warp into a new shape, instead of being broken down and then reassembled, accompanied by bright light caused by the chemical reaction.

"Thank you, Alphonse," McGonagall said, and then turned back to her class. "Would anyone else like to try a demonstration? Yes, you there in the back. You may go." The student called was a Ravenclaw, apparent by his blue robes. He took out his wand and waved his wand carefully, as if in deep concentration, and transmuted his text book into jewelry box. He sighed in relief, apparently not having much confidence in the first place. Ed didn't comment, and instead allowed his brother to express his enthusiasm for him. It was cool in it's own right, but it wasn't alchemy, and therefore, it wasn't natural.

"Good, now change it back." McGonagall said sternly. "You all know by now that we do not practice on tools that teach." A few students snickered in the back.

McGonagall nodded towards the boys, and the students eagerly awaited a demonstration, not really sure what to expect. The only ones to see the brother's alchemy were Harry and his friends, the others were in to a big surprise.

"You can go first, Al." Ed said, wanting to save his for last. He didn't appreciate how most of the students seemed to be focusing on his brother, not that he really wanted the attention. He would just rather have students be scared of _him_ than having them gawk at his little brother for his...condition. So, he would do his best. He just hoped Al would do something harmless.

"What should I do?" Al asked, already showing sighs of shyness. "I don't really have material to work with." Al slightly panicked, he didn't want to make either of them look bad, but he was blank...and then he spotted it. In the corner of the class was a heap of old looking material, perhaps curtains or old robes. Who knows.

Al pointed to the pile and asked, "May I?" Ed wondered what his brother was up to.

"I was planning on throwing them out any day now, you may."

Al walked over and scooted the pile in front of him, and then asked about a plastic cup that was lying around, to which he was also granted permission to use. He tossed it on the pile, the students following his movements curiously. He then clapped his hands together and held them over the pile, consuming it in a faint, blue light. The students leaned over their desk to get a better look and when the light vanished, they were all left awestruck, lost for words.

Ed grinned. "...cute, Al." Was all he could manage to saw. Alphonse visibly blushed, as a result of all the girls cooing over what he had created...a giant, stuffed tabby cat. McGonagall chuckled and encouraged Ed to start.

* * *

**Author Note: Sorry for ending this right now, but it's 5am and I need time to think. Please excuse this for errors, because I am only reading over this once before I post. **

**Also, I think I still might cut this fic fairly short, end it soon, and immediately start on the sequal, becuase of a certain event I want to happen. Although, I'm thinking I might also just keep this one fic, have a filler chapter, and then start the next chapter back on the plot. I'm leaving the decision to you to vote on in a review, here are your options**

**A: After a few chapters, event happens. Ending notes, and I start sequel a bit after it left off. Perhaps a whole other school year, giving the event time to work itself out.**

**B: After a few chapter, between one and three (same for ^), event happens. Have a filler chapter, and then start back again. Filler chapter is when event would have time to work itself out. **

**Not that I think about it, it might make more sense to to just keep this one going and not have a sequel again, but then again, the beginning is kind of jumbled and confusing. Idk. It's five in the morning, I can hardly think straight.**

**Oh and don't worry, I didn't forget about Ed's war with Umbridge, it's coming next chapter :)  
**


	9. Alchemy

**Author Note: So yeah, I've decided to slightly Edit the two series to make one particular event make sense. I've given Nicolas a background, even made it make slight sense to those who have seen all of Brotherhood. If you don't understand my reasoning, just P.M. me and I'll gladly explain. :) I've completely made this up as I go along, which is why there are slight plot holes, and which would explain why I have no Idea where I'm going with this. Regardless, I'm happy with how this is coming out, and I promise, once the big event happens, the plot will be much, much better.**

Oh, hmm.. possible Fullmetal spoiler, but not really. Everyone knew it was coming if you even catch on to the hint, but haven't watched Brotherhood. Read with caution I guess.

Also, I don't remember if Draco is still on the quidditch team, but he is in this fic. We need conflict, and everyone knows you can't have conflict without Draco Malfoy. It's just impossible. ;)

And uber long chapter, yay! The chapter after this should be the last filler, and then the one after will most likely be when the big event happens. :) Any one think they know what it's going to be? I hope I'm not putting off too many hints, I still want it to be a surprise.

**

* * *

**Ed looked from the giant stuffed tabby to the students sitting patiently in their desk, he wasn't quite sure what to do. He figured he could do a series, something that would make up for the lack of creativeness. There just wasn't a lot of space to work with here...

Ed clapped his hands together, but before he preformed a transmutation, he said, "A few of you have already seen this, but..." He trailed off, not really bothering to even finish the sentence. They would catch on. He lowered his hand and formed the stone beneath him into a tricked-out staff, leaving the students speechless. Even Harry and his friends were still left impressed, not so much by his repetitiveness, but by the process itself. He used no wand, merely clapped his hands. That alone was awesome.

Unfortunately, not all students had that resolve. "That all you can do?" Draco scoffed, though he was almost certain the comment came out louder than intended. Ed turned to face Draco and he went rigid, realizing said comment had in fact been heard. Ed clapped his hands again, and the staff disappeared, though that was not all. The ground beneath Draco's chair shifted, and then merged with the chair itself. The Slytherin was then hoisted into the air and carried over to Ed by a current of stone, stopping when he was only a few mere inches from Ed's face.

"I can do much more than that," Ed confirmed. "Though my best work usually involves combat." Al chuckled darkly, deciding he didn't like that boy any more than his brother did.

McGonagall cleared her throat, "Alright, Mr. Elric. I believe that's enough. Let's move on." Edward nodded stiffly, clapping his hands again to put the desk back how it was. Draco didn't say another word. Of course, before the class could officially move on, a round of questions erupted like flame, sparking a forest fire.

"How'd you do that?"

"Can you teach me?"

"Can I have the kitty?" Al's stare became murderous. The girl who asked backed down.

"Where'd you learn this, and how come you can do it without a wand?" Ed looked up, surprised that a good question actually came from the Slytherin side of the room. He couldn't deny it, even though he only spent a few short days here, he was already developing slight prejudice towards the Slytherins. They just reminded him too much of his enemies back home, and all who annoyed him. Granted, he knew they weren't _all_ bad, he just had to keep reminding him self so.

Ed perked up, finally a chance to talk about something that actually applied to the common laws of physics. He felt like such a nerd. "It doesn't require a wand because it isn't magic." At this conversations broke out, though most were just confused. "Like my brother said, this is a science. Any of you take, uh, any non-magical classes?"

The room was silent. Hesitantly a few students raised their hands. He picked Granger to speak on their behalf. "Some of us were born as muggles, uh... meaning that we didn't know about magic. So, some of us are familiar with the basics of math and science, though obviously Hogwarts doesn't exactly offer them because magic takes over and cancels out science..."

"There is a muggle studies class, though. And, there's one that's almost like math, though not many take it..." A Ravenclaw student finished, leaving Ed with some hope that these kids weren't entirely lost. Ed then decided that he would consider conducting a small class... _if,_ and only if, training with Harry, Ron and Hermione went well. He would probably regret it later.

"Thank you." Ed said, and then continued with his explanation. He found that he quite liked talking about alchemy, it felt familiar. "Anyway, alchemy doesn't require magic, but it does instead require extensive knowledge of the elements, and an understanding of the natural balance of the earth. Without it, you won't get far as an alchemist. Even still, unlike my method, the majority of alchemist use chalk." Again chatter erupted. McGonagall stepped down, not minding that the subject was drifting away from transfiguration, becoming about the basis of alchemy, she was rather enjoying herself. It had been a while since she had a subject to hold her interest.

"But, wouldn't alchemist prefer to do it like you?" A Slytherin asked.

Then a Griffindor raised his hand, Ed nodded. "How exactly would you use chalk in the first place? I don't see a reason..."

Ed sighed and took a seat on the ground, motioning for the students to gather for a closer look. They jumped at the chance to get out their seats and crowded the alchemist, professor included.

Ed took off the glove on his left hand, clapping his hands and engulfing it in a faint blue light. When the light cleared, all that was left was a heap of white fabric. The students looked puzzled, but remained silent. From his pocket, Ed pulled out a piece of white chalk. He held it up for a moment, letting everyone see, and then proceeded to draw a simple array on the stone floor. "This is called an array. All arrays start on the basis of a circle, and then are modified by the symbols inside to represent different elements. Depending on what you want to transmute, the array will vary, which requires a lot of memorization. If you use the wrong array for the job to be done, the transmutation will fail, perhaps even backfire. But if done properly..." Ed trailed off and brought his hands down to touch the outer layer of the circle, transmuting the cloth back into a glove. "You are rewarded with a successful transmutation."

Ed wiped away the chalk and handed the discussion over to the professor. "Thank you for that demonstration, Mr Elric. Take your seats please." As she said this the students groaned, sensing that the lesson with Ed was over, and even though Ed was enjoying himself, he didn't want to raise the topic of how his ability came to be.

_To personal, _Ed thought. He walked over towards his brother, and together they drifted to the corner of the class, to watch the professor. She kept going on and on about memorizing different spells to the class, also talking about other ones that wasn't actually transfiguration, but summoning and banishing, ones that Ed thought might actually be useful to him. How he hated carrying a suitcase around...

Eventually, a bell rang and the students reluctantly filed out. Ed waved off Harry and the others, saying that he'd catch up with him eventually. He decided that it wouldn't hurt to check out his other classes, seeing if any would hold his interest. No matter how much he didn't like it, he knew that being here presented to him an opportunity to learn a new skill, one that might be useful in getting him and Al out of here, or if he was lucky, getting his brother's body back and correcting his sin.

"What's next?" Ed asked McGonagall. She went to her desk, collected a few papers, and handed them to Ed.

"These are for you and your brother. Once you two get a wand-"

"What," Ed asked, his tone flat. He wasn't sure about the idea of him waving around a magic stick.

"A wand, Mr. Elric. You and your brother are to get a wand, it's expected if you want to be my intern. You will study these spells, the one's highlighted are required. The others are optional, but recommended," McGonagall said, her tone strict.

"Why...isn't-" Ed began, but was interrupted.

"I have a feeling you won't be able to get around this world with alchemy alone. Your skills are impressive, yes, but I don't believe they will be enough if you get into trouble with the wrong wizards. Some of these spells can kill you. I hope that is understood." As McGonagall finished she went back to her desk. "I'll need you back here in two hours. I have a lesson that I'd like to try, planning that must be done so that it prepared.."

Alphonse nodded and dragged his brother out of the class. He was in one of his moods, and wouldn't say anything. Al knew what he was thinking, that learning the magic would be a struggle, something that was against their principles, but they _did _agree to taking on the internship in the first place. They were already involved. No way out.

"C'mon, let's go back to the room." Al said, and dragged his brother behind him, considering the idea of just picking him up and carrying him himself if he didn't speed up. They walked the corridor quickly, finally picking up pace, and made it back to the room in minutes.

For a while, they went over the list McGonagall gave them, memorizing most of the highlighted spells while they had time. They knew it was nearly useless, without a way to do magic, but it would keep them busy.

"So." Ed said, Al could tell he was still in a foul mood. "You, uh..think it would be a good idea to tell Dumbledore about our theory?"

"Probably, he would know the most about this world." Al said, which only confirmed his own thoughts. They would have to trust Dumbledore completely on this, he just hoped that the old man was as trustworthy as he looked.

There was silence, and Ed closed his eyes. The small window was open, letting in a nice breeze. _Smells like home, _Ed thought. His stomach growled and his eyes snapped open. He sighed heavily. "Just..." Ed began, but paused. "Tonight, let's do it tonight."

Al agreed. "Let's grab lunch."

They were late, but they managed to grab some food before the Great Hall was closed and all the students and staff had dispersed. They sat at the staff table today, Ed deep in thought, not looking up from his plate, and Al sitting along side him, motionless.

A hand landed lightly on Ed's shoulder. He didn't look up. "Something on your mind, Mr. Elric?" McGonagall asked, Ed shrugged.

"No. Time for class?" Ed guessed and the old witch nodded. Though the gesture was lost, he knew the answer. He left his plate and followed her out, Al in step behind them. "What do you have planned for this class?"

"Nothing in particular, afternoon classes are canceled due to the quidditch tournament." McGonagall answered, stopping when she glanced at Ed's expression. "What? Didn't anyone tell you?"

Ed remained silent, his eyebrow twitching. Al muttered, "No."

"Well, no matter." McGonagall said swiftly. "I still need to see you in my classroom, there are matters we need to discuss. If you wish, you may attend the latter of the match later."

The brothers followed. Ed asked, "Quidditch?"

"You brothers don't know a lot about our culture, do you?" McGonagall asked, amused. "It's a form of sport, though too much to explain. You would have to watch on your own time to get a feel for it."

They were silent, and eventually made their way to McGonagall's classroom. Feeling that they had nothing else to do, the brothers sat. Al was relieved that he could somehow fit on one of the benches.

"Yes, I'd like to know just how much you are willing to show my classes, day to day." McGonagall said. Al looked confused, Ed was silent.

"What do yo mean, I thought we were just playing the part..." Ed said. Sure, he didn't mind a few basic lessons... he almost felt like he was being hypocritical to himself the way his thoughts kept flip-flopping, but there was a line he wouldn't...couldn't cross. Plus, he hadn't even discussed the idea of teaching a few lessons with his brother yet, much less anyone else at Hogwarts.

"Yes, but it has occurred to me just how much your knowledge could benefit us all." McGonagall said, taking a seat at her own desk. She knew it was foolish of her to ask the brothers to head their own class, but she had to try something.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for Ed to reply. "We can do a few sessions here and there, but nothing major. I don't even know how long me or my brother will be here..."

"Understandable." McGonagall said, and dismissed the boys. "Oh, before I forget...I'll leave it up to you to decide what direction we take classes tomorrow." The brothers nodded, each left with their own thoughts to sort out.

_I'm not sure if I should be excited...or ticked off, _Ed thought as he left the classroom.

"What should we do now?" Al asked. He didn't particularity feel like watching sports, not yet anyway with so much research to be done.

"We need to seriously organize our thoughts." Ed muttered, knowing they couldn't present any theories to Dumbledore in such a raw state. "Let's go back to our room, see what we can agree on."

Al nodded, and they headed eagerly back to their room. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

"Right." Al agreed.

A few long minutes later and they made it back to their room, each taking a seat in their usual spots, Ed on his bed and Al sitting Indian style on the floor. Al had pulled out a notebook and pencil, ready to do a bit of brainstorming. It was an odd habit, to organize when he could, but it proved to be useful.

"So we agree that these two books are connected, and that evidence points to Nicolas not being from this world, right?" Ed asked, pointing one of his fingers in the air. Al nodded and scribbled a note.

"And we know that somehow, Nicolas made a connection between Horcruxes and human transmutation," Al said, and Ed added another finger. Al scribbled a note.

"I'm sure that I have absolutely no idea what this damn Horcrux is, or how the hell it is related to human transmutation." Ed said, adding another finger, and Al scribbled a note, resisting the urge to let out a fit of giggles. He found Ed was taking this note/organization thing way to seriously.

"We believe he, uh, Nicolas, is probably from our world." Al stated, to which Ed dramatically added yet one more finger, bringing the count to four.

"Nicolas created a Philosophers stone, which granted him immortality, but didn't allow him back through the gate," Ed said, before adding one final assumption. "The gate gave- Truth, gave him a choice." He left the count at five, and then let his hand drop.

"A choice, Brother?" Al asked, though he had been thinking something similar.

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Ed said, and his brother nodded. "Truth wouldn't let him have both immortality, and a free ride home. He's too much of a deceiving bastard."

"Yeah..." Al agreed, deep in thought. Then, suddenly, Ed changed the topic.

"You think Dumbledore likes sports?" Ed asked curiously.

"Huh?" Al asked, his voice echoed throughout the room.

"I just wondered if Dumbledore was in the school somewhere, or watching that... quidditch or whatnot. Let's go find out." Ed said, and Al sighed. His brother was always on the move. He felt sorry for whoever would become his wife, for having to deal with a guy like him. He felt sorry for Winry.

The boys searched, but of course, Dumbledore was nowhere to be found. They were just about to check his office when they ran into one of the professors that neither of the boys knew, though had seen before, a small guy...even shorter than Ed. For once, Edward felt superior.

"You boys aren't watching the tournament? Griffindor vs. Slytherin; good game, good game," he said, as they were passing in the corridor.

"Uh, no sir." Al said politely.

"We're looking for Dumbledore," Ed explained, though his tone was demanding. The professor smiled, and pointed off towards the direction of the field.

"He'll still be watching the match, should be over soon. I believe Harry's getting about ready to catch the snitch, Slytherin is up by a few points. If you hurry, you might catch the end," the professor said, and the brothers nodded, heading off in the direction of the field, wondering just what a 'snitch' was.

As they approached the field, the noise outside could be heard. There was a lot of cheering, silence, more cheering. The brothers walked out cautiously, just in time to see something dart over his head, flying though the air at dangerous speeds.

"What the hell?" Ed muttered, unsure of what it was. They somehow made their way into the stands, able to get a clear view of what was going on. The brothers were speechless, and that's saying a lot for Ed.

There were figures flying and zipping around like crazy, flying brown objects being hit through hoops in the sky, and others that were chasing players around, getting dangerously close to their bodies.

"Are those brooms?" Ed asked, his throat felt dry all of a sudden.

"What else?" Came a familiar voice from behind him. Ed turned to see Hermione, her gaze lingering on the field, watching the players with a hint of concern. "We're witches and wizards after all, what'd you expect?"

A player from what the brothers guessed was the Griffindor team came mere feet from running into the crowd, the brothers inched back. "Isn't that kind of...dangerous?" Al asked, fearing that someone would probably get hurt.

"A bit, yes. But, so are all sports, really." Hermione said, and then pointed dramatically towards one of players. "Look, it's Harry! He's after the snitch!"

"Snitch?" Ed asked, his own eyes being diverted towards the field, watching what he assumed was Harry, who at first glance would seem to be flying around at top speed aimlessly...but if he looked closer, he could see that he was chasing _something._

"Honestly, I thought you two read?" Hermione asked, though neither Ed nor Al could tell if she was just teasing or actually annoyed. "Harry's a seeker, meaning that his goal is to catch the Golden Snitch. It's this small golden ball, has wings and everything. Nearly impossible to see or catch, unless you've got the talent for it."

Ed nodded and went to stand closer to the railing, watching curiously as Harry nearly lept off his broom to catch the small object, which Ed could actually follow quite well. He was sure his brother could too. As many years of training as they've had, it would be an insult if they wouldn't be able to follow. It wasn't that fast, really...

Guns are fired much faster. And the brothers were always on their toes in battle. Something like this was nothing to them.

Cheering erupted through the stands as Harry caught the snitch and ended the game. Ed felt lost in the noise, like he wasn't a part of what was going on. Regardless, he found himself cheering as well, though he wasn't really sure why.

He couldn't help thinking, _It's not my place._

Ed looked over to Al, who seemed to be enjoying himself, and he took refuge in that. At least things weren't looking that for down for his brother, they had hope, and they just needed to hold onto it.

After the game, the brothers walked back to Great Hall with Harry and his friends, along with the rest of the winning quidditch team. The Slytherins stayed behind to rant at each other, telling off the seeker and such. It was a bad atmosphere to be in, and the brothers were happy they weren't there.

"That back there... it was interesting." Ed commented, deciding to sit with the others at the house table. Harry and Ron were digging in, probably starving from the game. Al sat there quietly, chatting about something with Fred and George. Ed fixed himself a plate, piling up what he could to make up from a lack of a good lunch. Hermione left herself to think, worrying about Al.

_I've never seen him eat, not once,_ she thought. "Maybe it's too difficult in th-" Hermione muttered to herself, but stopped when she realized the brothers were sitting close by.

"Yeah, it was. So...' Harry began. He turned to face the brothers. "Are we still, uh... training today?" Ed nodded. Harry and Ron had to resist the urge to sigh. They were hoping that because of the match, that it could just be another day. They were exhausted.

"Afternoon classes are canceled, and supper is early, so it's the perfect time." Ed remarked. He sounded somewhat disappointed; he didn't expect them to try and get out of training so early on.

"Training?" Fred asked, cutting into the conversation.

"With this shorty?" George finished, his lips curled into a smirk. Ed twitched.

"I'm not short, dammit!" Ed yelled, standing up from his seat, ignoring the looks he was getting.

"Just kidding, mate." George said, making gentle hand gestures to try and calm him down. "Relax." Al sighed and forcefully pushed Ed back in his seat.

There was a short silence. "They're teaching us Alchemy," Hermione said, deciding to answer the twins questions. The brothers tensed, unsure if this was information that should be shared. Once they realized they were out of earshot of the others in the Great Hall, and that the twins seemed trustworthy enough, they relaxed.

"We're going to _try,_ I'm not making any promises," Ed said, not wanting the trio to get their hopes up. Hermione stiffened, surprised that the elder brother didn't seem to have much faith in them. It was almost insulting.

"Is it really that hard?" George asked. Ed nodded.

"That's not what I heard," Fred said.

"No, heard you two were doing a bit of showing off," George finished.

"I wish I could have been there, they say you really shut that Malfoy up." Fred continued.

"Impossible, I thought. No way!" George said, though he was being a bit over dramatic. Other Griffindors were beginning to show interest in the conversation.

Fred waited before continuing, trying to get some reaction out of Ed to confirm what he and his brother heard. Instead, all he got was an encouraging nod from Ron. "It's true, though. Edward, my dearest vertically inclined, I owe you one!" Fred said, and put his hand out to shake Ed's. However, Fred went for the right hand, and Ed shrank back. There was a bit more silence, and Ed stood up.

"Come to our room when you're done," Ed said, and walked out of the Great Hall, Al following behind him.

Neither Harry, Ron, Hermione or the twins spoke until Ed had completely cleared the Great Hall. "That was a bit overkill, Fred."

"Oh, shut it, Ron," George said.

"I considered that a compliment," Fred said, crossing his arms and seeming to be totally insulted, though the gesture didn't last long.

Hermione sighed, "Vertically inclined, really?" Ron held in laughter.

"I was only kidding, I didn't think it would upset him that much." Fred said, and then silenced himself with pudding.

"I don't think that's it..." Harry said, and then stood up abruptly. "I'll be right back, going ahead. Distract yourselves or something, just don't head over just yet." He left the Great Hall leaving the others speechless, wondering if their friend had finally lost his mind.

Harry all but sprinted his way there, hoping to give himself some time before the others got there. He knew about the arm, but there were still questions, and he didn't see him answering them while Hermione or Ron were around. When he finally made it to the door, he knocked, trying to make it seem less frantic than he felt. He felt the time he had was limited.

Ed opened the door with a less than pleasant expression. He hadn't expected anyone to arrive so soon. When he saw that it was only Harry, he grew suspicious.

"May I come it?" Harry asked, glancing nervously at anything except Edwards eyes. Ed nodded, and Harry exhaled slightly.

"You're early," Ed commented, and went to finish what he was doing before, jotting down notes on the notebook Al once had.

Harry stood there awkwardly, it was a small room, and he didn't expect it to feel so.. different. Alphonse wasn't there, so it freed up space, but the room still felt foreign. Every single room in Hogwarts, no matter how large or small, had at least some trace of magic. Here, there was just...nothing. It was all normal looking, a few papers and books were scattered about, but that was about it. One bed, opposite to Edward, looked like it hadn't been touched since they arrived. Ed's was the exact opposite.

"Where's Alphonse?" Harry asked, moving to stand a bit further away from Ed. It was obvious that he didn't want Harry here, but perhaps he was just too stubborn to say so."

Ed closed the notebook, lying it on his bed. He passed Harry a quick glance, one that read, 'if you touch this, you die'. "We thought we had more time, so he went bring some library books back. He shouldn't be long. Do you need something?"

Harry cleared his throat. It was now or never. "I wanted you to tell me about your arm..." Harry said, his eyes quickly moving to stare at the floor. He wasn't sure how Edward looked, but he didn't exactly want to find out.

"What about it," Ed grumbled, clutching his automail defensively.

Harry didn't hesitate, afraid he'd never have the courage to bring this up again. "You, uh.. never really talked about it back in Dumbledore's office. Or, maybe you did when I was there, but..." Harry trailed off, not sure what else to say.

"You already know it's not normal, what else is there?" Ed said, not really sure what Harry wanted him to say. Did he think just because Harry was curious, that he would go about telling his secrets to the world?

"I just want to know why you reacted like you did when one of the twins wanted to shake your hand," Harry said, waiting for his reply.

"It's kind of obvious, isn't it?" Ed said. "I don't exactly want the world to know my limb isn't made from flesh and bone."

"But...there's more, isn't there?" Harry insisted, Ed glared at him. Harry thought of Professor Moody, he didn;t exactly try and hide his severed leg, or his magical eye. Why was Edward so shy about it?

"You're one persistent little bas-" Ed began, but a knock on the door silenced him. As Ed made his way to the door, angrily picking up the note book once more, he muttered, "Just mind your own damn business." Harry took this as a more than obvious sign that Ed didn't want to talk about it. He remained silent as Ed opened the door, revealing Hermione and Ron. They looked more than a little nervous, and they should be. Instead of inviting them in, Ed walked out, motioning for Harry to do the same.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked, following Ed down the corridor. She looked around for Al, but didn't see him anywhere. Ron followed silently. Harry, on the other hand, was jabbering away in his own mind.

He couldn't shake the feeling that whatever happened to Ed's arm had some part into why his younger brother was in armor. Perhaps from the same injury, or maybe from paranoia. Who really knew, besides them.

_And now I blew my only chance, _Harry thought._._

"The library, and then the field," Ed said. "My brother went to go drop off a few books, and pick some up as well, though he should have already been back.. After that, we start your training."

The walk there was quiet, no noise except for their own footsteps echoing against the stone. Ed saw a few professors pass, and he briefly wondered whatever happened to that toad woman. She wasn't at the match, nor dinner afterwards. In fact, he hadn't even seen her since he and Al were introduced.

"Al," Ed called once they reached the library. "C'mon, we don't have all day." They waited outside, Ed tapping his foot impatiently. A few minutes passed, and the trio saw Ed pull out a pocket watch. After a bright flash of light, Ed opened it, studying it for a moment before closing it again. Until Al arrived, Ed kept opening and closing it absentmindedly, it's clicking almost hypnotizing.

Finally, Al made his way into sight and Ed let out a repressed sigh. "Sorry, they were hard to find," Alphonse said.

"It's alright, let's just go," Edward said, and ushered the others into the field as quick as possible. When they arrived, evening wind whipping their clothes back and forth, the Elric brothers and trio were less than pleased. "You've got to be kidding me, they're still here?"

"Who's h- oh." Ron asked, and then looked before him in disgust. "Those bloody Slytherins."

"You think.." Harry began, turning to Ed, but stopped mid sentence. "Hey! Edward!" He was already walking off.

Ed stomped over to the middle of the field, ignoring that he was walking straight into the path of the half blinding, setting sun, where the players were still running around ranting at each other. At first, they paid no mind to Edward.

"It's your fault, you're the worst seeker we've had in years!" One of the teem members yelled. Draco clenched his fist tightly around his broom.

"Oh, really? Why don't you tell that to the seeker I've replaced, you can have him back. See how you do then," Draco retorted. "We wouldn't have even made it this far if I hadn't joined, what with those rubbish brooms you were flying on before."

"I 'ought to kick you off the team for that, Draco." Another said, Ed guessed it was the captain.

Draco smirked, "Oh yeah? Fine, why don't you hand those brooms over as well, and the new robes... bats too. Yeah I'll want those all back." The others were silent.

"Why don't you take your damn bickering someplace else. I need the field." Ed finally said, feeling a migraine coming on. He rubbed at his temples and didn't look up at the team.

"Why don't you shut it, can't you see it's in use?" The captain said again. Ed frowned, and the others began walking to give him backup.

"Quidditch is over," Harry said.

"Yeah, we won the match, now get lost," Ron finished. Draco pulled out his wand.

Draco pointed towards Ron, "And you're going to make us, Weasel?" Ron staggered back, but then erected himself and pulled out his own wand. Ed and Al sighed. "You got something to say, shorty?" Draco smirked.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SHORT? I'M NO BEAN SPROUT MIDGET!" Ed ranted, not even bothering at this point to control his temper. Al sighed in the background.

"He didn't say that last bit, did he?" Ron asked, Hermione shook her head and made a mental note never to call Ed short.

"Dumbledore's giving us permission to use what we need," Harry began. "And we need the field." Draco laughed, and by now, Ed had cooled off.

"You think I care about what that old man wants?" Draco said. "He's running this school into the ground, so just leave while you still can, Potter."

Ed sighed, "You realize I have authority over you, right?" But then, as Ed said this, he wondered if there was any truth to those words. Technically, he was still a student in a way. Draco sneered and raised his wand. "Put the damn stick down..."

_Who knew it would be repaired already..._Ed thought.

"What are you, some kind of muggle? How dare you. You might have gotten through me in the past, but that's only because you're some freak with something up his sleeve, and I do mean that quite literally. I don't know what you did last time, but you wont get the chance to do it again," Draco ranted, and Ed had the feeling that it was just his pride getting in the way.

Edward, being the stubborn guy he is, removed his glove and clapped his hands together, transmuting his arm. "You still plan on stopping me?" Ed asked, an emotionless expression on his face, he hated being told what he could and couldn't do. Harry couldn't believe it, after all that arguing he goes and shows off.

Draco dropped his broom and turned to fully face Ed. "It's a rematch you want? Fine," he said, and raised his wand once more. "You freak, you're going to pay for what you've done." Ed didn't move, he was studying Draco. His voice was smooth, confident, yet his eyes gave everything away. All his fear, clearly visible through the gate to his soul.

"I'm thinking we should step back," Hermione said, and the others, save for Al, agreed.

"I'm going help my brother," Al said.

Draco smirked, feeling he had the upper hand. "Rematch then. Stu-" Draco began, but was interrupted when he met eyes with Professor McGonagall.

Ed, not knowing what made Draco stop mid sentence, turned around. Seeing the professor, he transmuted his arm back to normal, smirking sheepishly. "Hey there, Professor. Can I help you?"

McGonagall almost smirked, her eyes were gleaming in the remaining light. She had an idea. "I just came to see what the problem was. Draco?" She asked, but the boy remained silent. "Right, move along, you can finish this tomorrow," She said, a few heads did double takes.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked, had she just given him permission to go against Draco? No.. she couldn't. "Then what..." Ed muttered, sure only he could hear.

"You will see tomorrow. Until then, Slytherins, the game has long since been over. Go eat," McGonagall said, a slight grin now becoming visible. She stood there for a moment, making sure they took her warning, and then escorted them the rest of the way herself, leaving the others in peace.

"That was interesting, what do you think she means?" Harry asked.

"Perhaps a duel, like the one back in our second year?" Hermione suggested, Ron gulped.

"Not another one! You saw how embarrassing it was last time," Ron panicked, finding a sudden interest in the grass.

"Ron.." Harry began, "You didn't even compete, it was-"

Ed started tapping his foot and Harry shut up. "We don't have much time, so come on, let's get started."

_I can't believe we are doing this..._ Were the thoughts coming from the trio. Under Ed's instruction, they were stretching out muscles that had been long overdue for usage. They were then shown a few moves from Al, mostly defensive. Hermione was glad that she changed out of her skirt and into more comfortable, and less revealing clothes before they met up with Edward, Alphonse, and Harry. Then, feeling that they worked out their muscles enough, Ed said, "Alright, Ron, come here. You're up first."

"W-what?" Ron asked, already feeling the sweat build up on the back of his neck. They had been at it for at least an hour, and the sun had long been set, though they could still see clearly with the stadium's magic lights.

"C'mon, you can only get so far hitting air," Edward said, gesturing him to come over.

Before Ron moved, Hermione said, "I still don't understand how this is going to help up with Alchemy..." She stretched out her arms behind her head, already feeling them tense up. She wasn't use to this much physical effort.

"You're going to use alchemy when and if you don't have access to wand, right?" Alphonse asked, pulling out a piece of chalk from who knows where. They nodded hesitantly. "If I gave you this now, what would you do with it?" The trio didn't know what to say.

"We'd have to wait for instruction..." Hermione said, not knowing where to even begin. "We don't know enough about those... arrays to do anything yet, which again is why I don't understand why we are doing this."

"It would be a lot easier to have you three brush up on science before I can start drilling patterns and symbols into your heads. And I don't want to waste time sitting here going through text books when we have time to use the field, so this is what we are going to do. Anyway, suppose I did start teaching you a few arrays, what would you do with what you made?" Ed said, and then transmuted the ground into a curved sword. He handed it to Ron before he had time to object. "What would you do with this?"

Ron just stood there, looking like he was afraid to even swing the thing. Ed spoke again, "Exactly, you don't even know where to start. All three of you need some physical training before any of this can be made useful. Now, Ron..." Ed began. Ron gulped. "Attack me."

Ron seemed extremely hesitant at first, but then saw that Edward looked dead serious. With a slight shiver, and figuring that it couldn't get any worse, Ron swung. The blow was fairly solid, a good beginners move, but it was blocked easily by Edward. "Again, don't be afraid to hit me."

Ron looked slightly insulted, and continued to swing at Ed, now giving it all he had. Again and again, Ed blocked, though towards the end, Ron managed to graze Ed's right arm. "You alright?" Ron asked, though Ed hadn't even flinched.

Ed smirked, "I've had much worse, Hermione, you're next."

"With that sword, I'll kill myself." Hermione said, looking at Ed like he was crazy."Honestly, I think I'd rather stick with magic." Ed thought for a moment, noting that she didn't really have much of a fighters build. However, she looked exceptionally bright for her age.

"I'll tell you what, practice hand to hand with Al, and you can just stick to learning the alchemy. Focus more on creating and less on combat, I think it'll benefit you three more," Ed said, and then motioned for harry. He handed Harry the sword, which was now coated in a thin layer of Edward's blood, thoroughly creeping out Harry, and waited on him to begin.

Harry swung wide and Edward ducked and rolled to the side, transmuting his arm in the process. Before, he only blocked attacks that came at him from Ron, but he would do differently for Harry. It was his understanding that this certain dark wizard wanted Harry out of the picture, more so than the others, and therefore would need the most protection. Edward agreed to help, and he would do so, but not without strategy. It would be most wise to have Ron and Hermione there for support, lending him the skills they had, but Harry had to be versatile in all situations.

Once Ed regained balance he clashed swords with Harry, and he staggered back. "Again," Ed demanded, and Harry lunged. A few more strikes and Ed made a move of his own, to which Harry surprisingly blocked. He wasn't as lucky the next time, because Eds sword made a shallow cut on Harry's shoulder. He winced slightly, but didn't stop, and they clashed for a few more minutes before Ed said that he could take a break.

"That was good, Harry," Hermione encouraged. Harry grinned a bit, but it vanished when he met eyes with Edward. The conversation from earlier came into his mind. He was surprised that Ed showed his arm at all, let alone changed it into a sword for training, though he already knew that both Hermione and Ron knew, thanks to Harry. And, because of the lack of reaction from those two, Ed knew Harry had told them as well. It didn't sit well, and Harry knew Ed wouldn't be too happy about it.

The whole time they fought, Hermione and Ron had to resist from gaping at the way Edward used his arm. It helped when Alphonse went through exercises with them, to keep their eyes away from the elder brother's arm, yet it still ate at the back of their minds. And they all wondered, what happened to Ed to make him loose his arm?

Lucky for Ed, they hadn't yet found out about his leg. It was already awkward enough for him with one limb not there...

They took turns sparring with each other, the physical strains keeping their racing minds busy. Edward focused mostly on Harry, though he switched up with Ron a few times. While they fought, whoever was left out practiced hand to hand with Hermione and Alphonse, working on their ability to predict and block. It seemed like a good enough system, and it would have to do.

"Alright, that's enough for today," Edward said, taking the sword from Harry and transmuting it back into the ground. "Al?"

"Nothing else I can think of," Alphonse replied. His brother nodded.

Hermione sighed, a bit disappointed. They had learned nothing about real alchemy, only combat to go along with it. Edward, seeming to read the young witch's mind, said, "Don't worry, we'll get to the alchemy next time. If tomorrow isn't busy, we can pick back up." Ed said. "Until then, Al has marked some pages for you to go over. Everything you read, you should take care to memorize."

"If you don't, we'll know, because the alchemy we will teach you will fail if you are not familiar with the knowledge,' Al warned.

"And if we don't see results, we'll stop lessons," Ed continued. "I don't see the point in wasting our time if you aren't prepared to do a little work."

With that point clearly understood, the five headed back indoors. They were at it for a good four hours, practicing different techniques over and over until they had the basic idea. It would take a lot of polishing up to be considered decent, but they were on their way. Edward was starting to believe there was hope in these kids after all, and that gave him that little warm and fuzzy feeling. It was odd, considering the situation they were in.

After making it to the Griffindor common room, the brothers handed them the books they were to read, along with a list of pages, equations, terms, and graphs to memorize. Ron groaned, feeling he had enough homework to do already. Harry agreed with Ron. Hermione, however, was finally becoming excited, already having a head start on some of the Science they would need, having been school when she was a child. Harry wasn't far behind Hermione, and knew he'd have to help Ron so he could catch up.

They ended their night more exhausted than they've been in a while. Hermione, at least, hadn't had to do as much Physical work, unlike the boys, who had Quidditch and sword lessons. They fell asleep quickly, only briefly going over the notes giving to them by the brothers, deciding together to look over them in the morning.

Edward and Alphonse, on the other hand, were wired up. They felt lazy, having as little Physical interaction as they've had the past few days. And all the stress didn't help their mood. It felt good to actually be doing something productive. Not only had they gotten a good bit of research done in the few days they've been here, but they also felt like they were making a bit of an impact on the lives of those at Hogwarts, whether they were good or bad.

Before they went back to their room, they tried to see the Headmaster, but had learned that Dumbledore had headed to bed early. With a defeated sigh, Edward led Alphonse back through the corridors, feeling more impatient than ever.

"We've got a lot more work to do," Ed stated, finally settling down, stretching out on his bed. It had been a long day, and he could only guess at what would unfold tomorrow.

"One step at a time, Brother." Alphonse agreed, jotting down more notes in his notebook. They didn't know what would happen from here on out, but at least they knew where to start. Tomorrow, they would confront Dumbledore.

* * *

**Author Note: **Yay, so I actually know what's going to happen next few chapters. It's so nice to have a plan!

Oh, and don't think I've forgotten about Ed and Al's trip to Diagon Ally, it will get here eventually. Time has just been moving so slow in this fic, which is why I'm still considering splitting this into two fics, or at least separating time a bit with one big filler chapter.

So, just if you're wondering about what time of year it is at Hogwarts, it's about early-mid October. That mean's Halloween is coming up! I just couldn't skip Halloween. With all the seriousness going on, I can't help but let the brothers have a little fun. Any ideas on costumes for our favorite little alchemist? Review, and let me know what you think? If anyone has a good idea, I'll put it in the fic, but if you want it specific, include details or I will improvise. :)

I can't wait :)

I've also thought up just now a tiny bit of an outline about how the next few chapters are going to go.

Next - Settling a few...unsettled matters.

Next, Next - Filler, halloween/Diagon Ally

Next, Next, Next, - Big Event

What do ya'll think?


	10. Alchemy vs Magic

**Author Note: I just had a thought... since Edward has been to Hogwarts, I never said whether or not Edward had ever changed his clothes...or got them washed...or anything like that.**

**So, lets just assume he didn't make his clothes too dirty, and well... you gotta wonder, right? This chapter, I'm forcing him to wash his clothes.**

**Oh, um.. and it never specifically stated whether Edward or Alphonse knew of their heritage, or maybe it did and I missed it, but I'll just assume that they did. Makes this a whole lot easer.**

**And as you may have already noticed, there won't be much interaction between the Elric's and the non-main characters of Harry Potter. Sorry, but there is already a lot going on as it is, my brain can't keep up with much more. However, if anyone has any specific character appearances/request, just let me know and I'll try my best to put something in.**

**Oh, and there won't be too much Umbridge in these next few chapters. Don't really need her, but she will play a part later. Too much going on right now to be settled out so that I can have my big event. (:**

* * *

Edward Elric woke up with his face implanted in the stone floor. "dmmmhht," he mumbled, his voice muffled beyond comprehension. Al wasn't in the room, which would explain why he woke up on the ground in the first place. If he were here, Alphonse would have had the decency to wake him up. Probably.

Ed corrected himself and wiped the dust off his face, massaging his sore nose. He thought back, trying to figure out what made him fall off the bed in the first place, was it the dream? In in, the shadow hands from the inside of the gate were clawing at his skin, trying to drag him through, trap him inside.

_Yes, _Edward decided. _Definitely the dream._

Edward sighed, and groggily walked over to where the notebook he and Al had compiled their thoughts in, and managed to trip over some large object along the way. He picked himself up and walked over to the object, noticing that it was a trunk

"..what the hell?" Ed said aloud, looking it over. He opened it and looked inside, noticing first the large note lying on top a pile of fabric.

_I look the liberty of having our house elves take your clothes down for washing._

_Inside, you will find an assortment of fabric, I'm sure you will be able to conjure up something to wear today_

_until your clothes have been properly washed. _

_Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore_

"Senile old man." Ed muttered, and put the note aside. As his hands moved towards the fabric, he saw that he was not in the clothes he wore to bed. Instead of his black shirt and pants, he was in a set of striped pajamas. "I don't even want to know. Damn senile..."

His mood lifted when he saw that the fabric inside would actually be useful in transmuting himself a new outfit. He looked back, now thankful that he and Dumbledore shared the brief conversation about alchemy. He used an example to explain the versatility of alchemy, telling him that if he had a base, he could create practically anything in range of that base, recalling when he had to fashion himself a new coat out of some red fabric after his last one has been ruined. Apparently, Dumbledore had good memory.

When he was done, he had made himself a loose, long sleeved, black shirt and durable black pants, feeling no need to stray away from his usual attire. He put on his belt and watch, not bothering to make a coat, in the mood to go casual. He slipped the notebook into his pants pocket and tucked his pants into his boots. Al wasn't here to fix his braid, so he just pulled his hair back into a pony tail and called it a morning. Before he left, he searched for a note or something, explaining why his brother wasn't there. Just as he walked over to Al's bed, the door opened. Startled, Ed turned, relieved when he saw Al.

"Where were you?" Edward asked, slightly annoyed. Al looked Ed over, his eyes darting quickly to the trunk and back. He sighed.

"I got bored, so I went for a walk. I found Dumbledore, he said his morning was free, so if we hurry..." Al stated, and Ed nodded.

"Yeah. Got it, come on," Edward said and they headed for Dumbledore's office. When they arrived, he was behind his desk, reading some parchment letters.

Dumbledore looked up, a casual smile in place. His eyes, even in this early hour, twinkled behind his half moon spectacles. "Good morning. Alphonse, you said that you had something to discuss with me?"

He took a quick look at the elder brother, noting that he made use of the material he left with him. It amused him, seeing the boy's taste in clothing and hair.

The brothers nodded, and Edward said, "It's concerning Nicolas Flamel. How much do you know about him?"

Dumbledore's calm facade faded, and he looked shocked, but only for a moment. "While he was still alive, I worked with him. We often talked about the Philosophers stone, and other alchemy he was researching, though I can't say that I ever dug to deep into his personal life, if that's what you mean. I've met his wife, yes, but he didn't share much else."

The brothers shared a look, and Alphonse nodded. "Did he ever say where he was from, originally?" Edward asked, and Dumbledore paused to think.

"He told me he spent most of his life here in London, though he didn't comment much on his early years. He said he came from a well off family, noble I do believe. Why?" Dumbledore asked, curious now to see if the brothers knew more about his friend than he did himself.

Edward opened the notebook and handed it to Al, who said, "We have reason to believe that Nicolas is from our world."

Dumbledore looked perplexed, their world?

"Care to elaborate?" Dumbledore said. He put his parchment down, and switched to where his chin was resting on his palm.

Ed got comfortable in his seat, and Dumbledore knew this would be a long explanation. "We told you that the gate, Truth, sent us here. Well, on the other side of that gate is our world. I think it's still Earth, though just an alternate version, where as alchemy is our form of magic," Edward began. "Based on Nicolas' autobiography, and his age, we believe he may have been a resident of one of our countries. According to legend, alchemy originated from a country called Xerxes, so that's our strongest lead, though he could have come from elsewhere."

Dumbledore remained silent, and that urged Edward to continue. "The autobiography didn't have any colored pictures, you wouldn't happen to have one of him, would you?"

The question wasn't what Dumbledore expected, but still he nodded and rummaged through one of his many drawers, his slender fingers moving silently. Within a few minutes, he pulled out a small photograph. On it, was a still life picture of a younger looking Dumbledore and another man. He was a little older than middle aged, with long, though faded blonde hair, defined facial features and golden eyes.

Together, the brothers said, "Xerxes." From what they've read and heard of their own heritage, those with golden eyes and hair, along with sharp and defined facial features, descended from Xerxes. There was almost no mistaking it now, he was certainly from their world. Dumbledore questioned the truth of his words at first, but the burning intensity of his eyes and his collected appearance proved that he was serious. Dumbledore believed them.

"Interesting, I always did wonder where those particular traits came from, though it's not like I have not seen odder in my many years," Dumbledore said, deep in thought. As he pondered this knew theory, he absentmindedly reached over to a bowl filled with small, yellow, candies and plopped one into his mouth.

"You said noble right? It would be pretty funny if he were the king or something, but anyway..." Edward began, and then trailed off when he realized he was wasting time. "There's more. Al?"

Al nodded and glanced at the list. "Could you tell us what exactly a horcrux is?"

Dumbledore's chin slipped off his hand, and for a moment, the brothers thought he would start chocking on the candy that he was just eating. He corrected himself and his eyes bore into the Elrics. They could tell already, this was a serious subject.

"Might I ask where you came across this term?" Dumbledore asked, completely serious.

Edward motioned to Alphonse and he pulled out a book, handing it to Dumbledore, showing him a marked page. "It was here, Nicolas compared it to human transmutation. Well, sort up, he only said it was considered-"

Dumbledore held up his hand to silence the boy, and studied the book with the other. "Yes, yes. I see it."

Edward grew annoyed at the silence that unfolded as Dumbledore sat there, deep in thought. With a repressed sigh, Ed said, "You mind explaining just what the hell a horcrux is, then?"

Dumbledore reached into another drawer, this one right under his desk. He pulled out what looked like a diary, though there was a deep, ridged, hole dug into it. "This is a horcrux, one that was destroyed by Harry Potter back in his second year here," he explained, though continued when he saw the boy's confused looks. "A horcrux, " he began again, "Is an item in which a person put a part of his own soul into. It can be just about anything, and in this case, it is a diary. Tom Riddle, now known as Lord Voldemort, put his soul into this very book on hopes to becoming immortal."

"I'm...guessing he failed then, if it was destroyed?" Edward said, deeply disturbed.

"No, just recently he was resurrected, meaning that this isn't the only horcrux. Unless all horcruxs are destroyed, he is, and will remain immortal, which is what makes him so dangerous. Even if he was destroyed, we have no hope in defeating him until all horcruxs are destroyed as well," Dumbledore explained.

Edward looked down, his clenched fist, trying to get his emotions under control. "And horcruxs are created... you have to murder, right?" Dumbledore nodded. "Sick bastards."

Dumbledore looked up, an uncharacteristic glint in his eyes, "How is it that Nicolas compared human transmutation to horcruxes, then?

"They say, back where I'm from, that it's a taboo," Edward said, catching on to the old man's tone, and not liking it one bit. Suddenly, it appeared that the brothers were totally different people, like there were other people inside the brother's bodies, speaking for them. Ones that were much older and experiences, ones that saw much more than they should.

"But that's the _only_ way they compare," Al spoke up, his had a rough edge to it, yet crisp.

"With human transmutation, it usually involves trying to bring the dead back to life, not to preserve your own soul. However," Edward began, still staring at the ground. "It's impossible to create life with alchemy...unless a real philosophers stone is created, and used. Perhaps, this is what Nicolas meant."

"The design on that page, the one that looks similar to the blood seal that bonded my soul with this armor, we think it's connected to to whatever magic is used to create horcruxes. We're not sure what that means, but it could link alchemy with magic," Alphonse finished, leaving Dumbledore to his thoughts.

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed, rubbing his silvery beard. "Yes, it could, but that isn't all, is it?"

Edward grinned, breaking the serious atmosphere. "You already have us figured out, don't you old man?"

Dumbledore straightened up, putting the book onto his desk. "Not even close," he said, an amused grin on his face; a familiar, curious twinkle returning to his eyes. The atmosphere lifted. "Now, continue."

Dumbledore could feel the atmosphere in the room shift again, Edwards eyes had been shifting continuously, as if he was switching between mask of his own self, each emotion so powerful that they completely over took him. He passed a quick glace at Alphonse, and only saw the hallow insides of his armor. He fought the chill that wanted to run down his spine. They were so young, Dumbledore thought. They shouldn't be able to have this kind of impact on people. They shouldn't have that kind of knowing gaze.

Alphonse was silent, and Edward didn't say anything, only smirked, not matching the mood. "Were going to need your help..." he paused. "To create a Philosophers stone."

====== muhaha cuz I'm evil ======

It took a little convincing to get Dumbledore's help. At first, he wasn't sure what to think of the idea. Sure, he promised his assistance, though he didn't think they would try to get another stone out of him. It was risky.

"It's dangerous to bring an object like that back into the world," Dumbledore tried, referring to the event that happened back in Harry Potter's first year. However, the brothers promised that the stone would be destroyed right after use, so he would have nothing to fear. After a moments debate, Dumbledore was hooked on the idea, driven further by his own curiosity, leaving the brothers to conclude that he really was a senile old man.

"Alright, we have a deal," Dumbledore finally said, closing with a handshake. "And as we promised..."

Edward nodded hesitantly, agreeing to one of the terms they discussed while the brothers were trying to persuade Dumbledore. "No more secrets," Edward agreed. Of course, that included Dumbledore as well. "I still want my privacy, though. At least from the students, same for Alphonse."

"Agreed," Dumbledore said, and nodded.

They boys left the office feeling as though they were finally moving forward. They had been stuck in a constant state of just being. Since they arrived, all they did was research. Sure, they had a few laughs, but now it was time to get serious again. Now they would finally take action.

"So, uh, where to next?" Edward asked. He thought the visit with Dumbledore would have taken more time than it had, and now there was free time. His stomach rumbled and Edward glared down at it. Al chuckled beside him. Before Al spoke, Edward said, "Yeah, I know. Breakfast."

Al chuckled again, and Ed knew more than well that if he denied food when he was hungry, his brother would force it down his throat. Not that he didn't like eating or anything...

They made it to the great hall just before breakfast was starting up, deciding to sit with the staff, neither of them in a talkative mood. A few student's took curious looks at Edward, it was strange to see someone looking so casual during school hours, though the brothers paid no mind. Edward ate in silence, Alphonse a statue beside him, until McGonagall walked over.

"I'll need you too in my classroom when you're done," she said, a certain look in her eye that the brothers couldn't place. Excitement? "I must ask you to hurry, there is planning to be done before my first class."

The brothers nodded and Edward downed the rest of his breakfast with new, determined haste, curious as to what the professor wanted. Once done, he put down his fork and made his way quickly to the transfiguration room, Al in close step behind him.

They arrived with a light knocking to McGonagall's classroom door. She called them, looking over to Edward and saying, "Dumbledore gave you material, no doubt. I don't understand why you didn't fashion yourself a robe. You would blend in much better." The brothers knew it was just side conversation, and the eldest passed it off as a light topic.

"Me and robes don't mix. I need versatility," Edward said, stiffing a yawn. "Besides, I rely on alchemy and combat, not magic."

"I understand," McGonagall replied. Neither of the brothers knew that what Edward had said only pushed her to try out her newest idea. With a deep breath, she immediately began her explanation. There wasn't much time left. "I've decided to put forth a duel between you and your brother," she began, talking directly to Edward. "...and the other students. I thought it would be interesting to see who would place better in one such duel, alchemy or magic? I'd like to see what you two are capable of."

A growing smirk was starting to appear on the elder brother's lips, enjoying the thought of the idea immensely. Alphonse, even through the armor, looked pleased. Edward asked, "A duel?"

"Yes, in a controlled environment meant to _disable_ your opponent only," McGonagall explained. The edge of of Edward's lips twitched slightly, his eyes shaded from showing his true excitement by his long bangs.

"Sounds fun, today then?" Edward asked, the old professor nodded.

"Awesome," Alphonse said, he knew it would be something to enjoy.

The Elric's stayed in McGonagall's class, knowing they wouldn't have enough time to do anything productive beforehand. Harry and friends didn't have class with Edward, Alphonse and McGonagall until after lunch. So until then, they would have to entertain themselves by showing all the little wizards what they could really do with alchemy.

The first class that came in, mostly a group of Hufflepuff's, seemed a bit nervous about what was to come, so the Elric's took things relatively slow. The duels went by quick, usually ending when Edward knocked a wizard off their feet. Some didn't even try.

Edward and Alphonse switched roles every class. In the first, Edward handled combat while Alphonse spotted whichever wizard he would be facing, to make sure no one got hurt. During the second class, they switched so that Alphonse got to lead, though the matches held out less than before, the challengers too intimidated by his appearance, much to the younger brother's disappointment. By the time lunch had come, knocking two of McGonagall's classes out the way, the brothers had yet to be defeated. Edward and Alphonse couldn't help but be pleased. Although, what they truly waited for was the class after lunch. They knew most of the students in that class, and they were also older, more skilled. They might actually put up a decent fight.

Edward's stomach growled, and again Alphonse whisked his younger brother away.

In a good mood from the alchemy he had done earlier, Edward convinced his brother to sit with him at the students' table - not like Alphonse needed much convincing anyway. They took a seat next to Harry and his friends and already, the trio and company were firing questions like cannon balls toward an enemy's ship.

"Is it true, mate?" Ron asked hesitantly. "We have to duel you two in Transfiguration?"

Edward nodded, a grin twitching in the corner of his mouth, and Ron muttered, "Blimey." He leaned back, hand on his forehead brushing up his hair, and sighed.

Hermione perked up, trying to calm Ron down. "It won't be that bad, Ron. Really, I'm sure it will be fun." Harry nodded in agreement, and the twins butted in to the conversation.

"I'm sure you will be fine, Ronny," Fred said, mocking his younger brother. Edward grinned and Ron stuck out his tongue.

"Yeah," Edward agreed. "Besides, Al will make sure I don't kill you."

Ron gulped, passing off what Edward said at first as a joke, but the look in his eyes proved that he was dead serious. Alphonse sniggered, it was fun to tease Ron. The twins burst into laughter and their younger brother's protest, and the Elric's ate the rest of their meal in silence, refusing to say anything else on the matter. Ginny was sitting next to Neville, a boy the brothers were never properly introduced to, being uncharacteristically quiet.

The bell that ended lunch rang, it's monotone pitch echoing through the great hall as students groaned. Ron gulped down one last forkful of food and got up almost shakily. The twins left before the fifth years, rushing off to do who knows what while the others waited for Ron, and Ginny followed.

"I'm Neville by the way," the boy with medium length, dark brown hair said, holding out his hand. Carefully, Edward held out his left hand and shook Neville's cautiously. Edward wasn't one for much physical contact, unless it was a fist to your face, specifically that of one Flame Alchemist's back in Amestris.

Draco and his followers from Slytherin walked by then, bumping into Neville. "Will you be the one to take down the pipsqueak first then?" Draco sneered. "Or will he win by default for looking like a girl?"

A female, one with long, dark hair and a calculating gaze scoffed, "As if. Right Draco?"

Draco sneered, and the brothers took that as his way of saying yes. "The shrimp is mine." Without another word, the Slytherins continued on. Making sure Edward was okay, the others turned to him, ready for the explosion that was sure to come. What they saw instead almost caused double-takes and a bad case of whiplash.

Edward was...grinning. No, not just grinning, he was laughing. His lips parted, curled upward, and for a second showed Edwards frighteningly sharp teeth. Everyone, save for Alphonse, took a step back, fear telling them to get the hell away. With a sigh, Al whacked his older brother on the head with his overly large hands, snapping Edward out of his sadistic thoughts.

Al grabbed the neck of his shirt and pulled so hard that he lost balance, Edward screaming in protest as his was dragged all the way to Transfiguration, yelling down the hall, "Alphonse, what the hell are you doing? Let go!"

The trio, now accompanied by Neville, followed in silence.

Somehow, they managed to make it to McGonagalls class before most of the students arrived, being forced to go straight there by Alphonse. McGonagall, seeing Edward being dragged by his shirt, let out an amused chuckle.

"What?" Edward snapped, as he was finally released by his younger brother.

"Nothing," McGonagall said. "Nothing."

As they waited for the class to begin, the brothers helped to prepare with the lesson, going over what they could do differently with the older students. Ron, refusing to hear any of that discussion, sat in the very back of the classroom, as far away from them as possible. Harry and Hermione snagged seats in the front row, trying to pick out details, and Neville sat with Ron, in an attempt to keep him calm.

"So, I can actually have some fun now, Professor?" Edward asked, noting how McGonagall warned earlier this morning for him to control himself. The professor nodded, knowing that Edward wouldn't actually harm a student purposely. And, seeing how Alphonse reacted and protected any students that managed to put themselves in harms way of his older brother, she felt the students were safe in his hands. Not to say some of the younger students hadn't made a few lucky hits. Although, they were only when spells missed, hitting the earth and sending bits flying at the brothers.

Still, she had hopes that her older students would put up much more resistance, and show Edward and Alphonse that magic wasn't to be taken too lightly.

The brothers and Professor agreed to take the next lesson out to the quidditch field, instead on normal school grounds. There would be much more room that way, and hopefully much less damage to the school itself, should things get out of hand.

Once all the students had made their way to class, McGonagall began her lesson, starting with an explanation. "I'm sure you have all by now heard of the lesson planned for today. No doubt has it been among chatter spreading throughout the corridors. We will have a duel between magic and alchemy. The students that wish to engage in combat - meaning that you are allowed to use hand to hand, as well as magic - will go against Mr. Elric. Others who wish to sit out will watch from the Quidditch stands. Who would like participate?," she asked, keeping things short and sweet, trying to free up as much time as possible.

Minerva was still a bit uneasy about the idea of engaging in hand to hand, as well as magic, but there was no rule against it. She was not outwardly putting students in harm, as this assignment was voluntary, and the students could avoid physical contact should they so choose.

Most of the hands flew into the air, excluding Ron and a few of the less confident students. Among the first were Draco and Harry.

"Mr. Elric, would you mind if the students paired up into teams of two? I didn't expect there to be so many students..." McGonagall nearly mumbled, surprised at the eagerness of her students. Edward took a quick glance towards Al, and they nodded in unison. "You may partner up for this assignment," McGonagall said quickly. "Alphonse will also be partnering with Edward. Now, come along."

They headed out to the quidditch field, most students quickening their steps with anticipation. The brothers were looking forward to the challenge. It was almost painful to accept how easy it was to defeat the other students in battle, though they were a bit smug. However, this would give them a better change to test the true strength of their supposed great power.

Once out, the students separated into groups. Harry and Hermione paired, leaving Ron to watch from a safe distance. Draco paired with one of his Slytherin friends. The others paired up as well. McGonagall gave them all ten minutes to think of a strategy, leaving the brothers to talk in private.

"What do you think, Brother?" Alphonse asked. He knew they had good enough odds, but could it become more challenging?

"I'd say we have this easy," Edward replied. "Though, if I didn't want to take on Malfoy alone, I'd say we should have larger groups."

"Brother..." Alphonse scolded. "Even now, you are not talking him on alone, he has a partner."

"And so do I," Edward said, gazing up at his younger brother, his eyes pleading.

For a moment, Alphonse's armor twisted into what Edward recognized as frustration. With a defeated sigh, he said, "Fine, I'll handle his partner."

The students were given a random order. A pair the Elric's hadn't recognized went first, much to Edward's annoyance. Not putting too much thought into the battle, he acted purely on reflex alone, letting his body do most of the work. Soon enough, with a shift in the ground an a light kick to the side, the wizards were rendered unable to go on. Harry and Hermione were up next, after a group that fought much like the last. At least that group of Ravenclaws managed some elemental magic from a distance, figuring the brothers would have less of a change to dodge if something solid was thrown at them. Alphonse knocked the mass of Earth aside, though Edward did get a decent sized cut in his left arm from a flying piece of debris. The students gasped, Ravenclaws in shock that they managed to injure the blonde alchemist. However, their moment of surprise and hesitation lost them the duel, as Edward wasn't even phased.

Finally, Edward and Alphonse had the chance to have a little fun, though it wasn't the battle the elder most anticipated. Still, it would have to hold him off until he could get to Draco.

"You okay, Edward?" Hermione asked before the duel officially began. Edward nodded, seeming to just notice the wound that trickling blood down his arm. He stretched his arm slightly and ignored it.

Harry wouldn't admit it, but that managed to thoroughly increase the fear he already felt towards the older brother. Harry remembered the wounds he had received over the years. From where Harry was standing, a good twenty or so feet away, he could easily see the cut. It wasn't shallow, yet the blonde hadn't even winced. If it were Harry, or any of his friends, he would be worried about loosing too much blood.

The Professor had shared those same thoughts, and wanted to send for the nurse, but Edward refused. Before she could protest, the older brother said, "I've had worse. I'm fine, let's continue."

He didn't appear to be in any pain at all, and that scared her. Just what could cause that? She remembered when Draco had been scratched back some time ago by the Hyppogriff. He had been somewhat hysterical, and the wounds weren't bad at all. Yet Elric...

"You may begin," McGonagall said.

Putting their plan into action immediately, Hermione ran off to a safe distance, while Harry went to get closer to Ed. He thought the effort was probably not going to be rewarded, but he knew the only way to do any damage to the team, would be to get close to either Edward or Alphonse. Noting the considerable size difference, Harry figured Edward was his best bet. Not expecting this, Edward was caught off guard as Harry delivered a gutsy punch to Edwards face.

The observers gasped yet again, and were then stunned into silence. McGonagall didn't even know what to think, seeing Harry punch at all. She stepped forward, but was dismissed as Ed burst into laughter.

"Finally!" He exclaimed. "You figured it out, but that won't work again." His gaze intensified, and he dodged a charm Hermione had cast from behind him, catching it in the corner of his eye. The spell in turn hit Harry, rendering him unconscious, or maybe paralyzed, the Elrics didn't know..

Hermione ignored the fact that Harry was out, and now she was on her own. She cast spells onto Alphonse, ones that should have stunned him, yet they were useless, somehow reflecting off his armor. She murmured another spell, blasting Alphonse into the air, giving her time to go for Edward.

She blasted a few spells at the ground, sending up bits of earth at the blond. A few bits clinked at his right arm, bouncing off his automail, making a few rips in his sleeve. They were small, and no one seemed to notice the automail. Alphonse landed safely back on the ground, and made his way over to his brother.

A bit annoyed, Edward clapped his hands, shaking the ground underneath Hermione's feet. She stumbled, but regained her balance. Another blast sent Edward flying in the air, like his brother before. He twisted and clapped his hands in mid air, ready to form another circle. However, before he had the time, Hermione cast another spell, levitating Edward int he air, unable to move. Unfortunately, this rendered Hermione useless, and Harry was still unconscious.

"We'll call this one a draw," Alphonse said, a bitter sweet end for Hermione. She wanted to win. She let Edward down none to gently and went to help Harry come to.

"Nice one, Potter. Managed to get yourself knocked out," Draco sneered as he made his way from the stands. He and his partner were up next.

"Watch in Malfoy, it might not be magic that knocks _you _out," Edward grumbled, tired of the Slytherins attitude. Draco feigned fear and walked over to his partner, ready for the match to begin. Still in earshot, added, "Just because you're a student, doesn't mean I'm taking it easy on you."

Rounding back, Malfoy made another comment. "Oh really, is that why you have your brother to back you up? Feel tough with him around?" Edward let out a short chuckle in protest.

"It's not him you should worry about, haven't I taught you that already?" Edward said, referring to the other times he made a fool of Draco. Honestly, you would think he learned. Apparently, because he was openly allowed to use magic, he felt a lot more confident.

"Sure, sure. The only damage you've managed to do to me is when I couldn't fight back. You should be scared, Elric," Draco mused. Edward glared at the boy, his eyes instantly shifting in tone.

"And you should hope I don't accidentally kill you, _that_ is why my brother is here. As for your partner, I'd advise him to stay back." Edward growled. He hated cowards, especially ones that denied what they were, trying to act all high and mighty.

"Let's just hope you have more tricks up your sleeve, Elric. You're becoming predictable," Draco said. There, at least, he had a valid point. Because of the situation, he was limited to what he could actually do with his alchemy.

"You think you have me figured out, don't you?" Edward mused, "Wouldn't feel that way if I had someone good to fight, someone less fragile. Half of what I could do would kill you, and I'm sure you don't want that."

"Alright, Mr. Elric," McGonagall said, breaking up the argument between the two, before either got to steamed to think rationally. "Shall I explain the rules again? Disable your appointment only. I don't want any severe injuries."

"Yeah, I know. Fair warning, though. If you try something like Harry, getting close, you might just get hit," Edward said, looking from Draco to McGonagall, who was starting to think she may have to keep a closer eye on the boys than she originally thought. She knew how Draco was, though hadn't imagined that he could agitate Edward this much. Seeing the worry, Edward said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

That being said, McGonagall sighed and walked out of the dueling area. "You may begin," she said, a safe distance away.

For a few seconds nothing happened, the brothers stood their ground while they waited on their opponent to make the first move. Draco and his partner separated. The stronger, and clearly more built up than the two, started drawing Alphonse away. Draco remained put. Becoming impatient, Edward nodded, signaling for Alphonse to distract the partner so Edward could focus on Draco.

"First rule in combat," Edward said conversationally, clapping his hands together. "You can't win, if you don't move." Draco looked slightly puzzled when Edward brought his hands to the ground, causing the earth around Draco's feet to shift. Bars of rock rose into the air until they bonded at the top, trapping Draco in what looked like a giant bird cage.

Laughter erupted from the stands, taking in the sight of Draco's trapped form.

_I knew that would be amusing, _Edward thought, a smirk playing at his lips. _But, now it's time to get serious. _

Edward ran for the cage and Draco murmured a spell, causing the bars around him to explode into tiny bits of rubble. Edward dodged the debris coming at him and clapped his hands again, though was interrupted when Draco fired a spell, sending white hot fire soaring through the air. Edward rolled to the side, the fire singing the edged of his pants. He cursed.

Bringing his hands back down to the earth, Edward sent a few decent sized balls of clay hurtling towards Draco. With a wave of his wand, Draco deflected the clay. With a twist, the clay stilled, circling together until it formed one huge boulder like mass. Draco sent it towards Edward, but it was a clear miss, heading for the stands instead.

"Dammit, watch where you thrown those things!" Edward yelled, sending out spikes from the ground to collide with boulder. It crumbled to pieces, showering the two with dust.

"Whops," Draco muttered, though he showed no sign of worry or regret. Edward frowned, and decided the best coarse of action from here one would be to just go hand to hand. He raced off down the field, his feet beating hard against the earth, giving Draco time to panic. He sent off a few curses, each Edward was forced to dodge.

Then, Draco had an idea. If he could get Edward to jump, how would he dodge an attack mid air? Draco smirked and sent a flurry of spells his way, forcing the brother to leap a good ten feet into the air. For a moment, Draco was stunned that the boy could jump that high, but forced himself to refocus on the task at hand. White Edward was still in the air, he sent out another wave of spells. He somehow managed to twist his way out of the first two, but was hit somewhere by the last.

The force from the stunning spell sent Edward flying backwards. Alphonse looked up from where he was already engaged in combat, keeping Draco's partner busy, the sound of magic colliding with metal distracting him. He watched as Edward skidded against the ground, across a combination of dead grass and rubble from previous failed attacks. For a moment, Draco thought he may have properly stunned the blonde, seeing as how he hadn't made much effort in correcting his landing.

"Edward?" Alphonse called. The younger brother launched Draco's partner a few feet in the air so he could check on Edward. Draco's partner rolled to the ground, deciding to stay put himself. He was ready to call it quits.

Edward, however, was far from over. The stunning spell had hit him in his leg, sending him flying through the air off balanced. Without enough time to correct himself, he couldn't give himself a smooth landing, but at least he managed to take most of the impact on his right side, avoiding the wound he already had. Feeling a little numb at his stumps, Edward stood up, dusting himself off.

"Lucky.." Draco muttered to himself. He was at least looking to get some sigh of weakness from the older brother after what he had just done. After all that, and the brother could still stand, nothing more than a badly ripped right sleeve, and a small tear in his trousers. Although.. now that he took a closer look, there was something about that arm.

A quick flash back brought him back to when his last wand was severed. It happened so fast that he wasn't sure how Edward did it. A quick flash of silver blurred in front of him and the next thing he knew half his wand was lying on the floor. Now he could see.

Edward followed Draco's stare towards his tattered sleeve. His anger boiled, realizing that he was about to loose it completely. Chatter was starting to erupt in the stands. They could see his arm.

"Fine," Edward said, sounding exasperated. "Screw this."

There were more gasp and chatter as Edward jerked off his gloves and tore off what remained of his sleeves, one by one, in a mini tantrum.

"Freak," Draco spat, firing another spell. Edward dodged easily and closed the remainder of the gap that was left between them.

Without another word, Edward transmuted himself a blunt staff, using it to sweep Draco's feet from under him. He didn't stay down for long, scrambling back to his feet. Draco muttered yet another spell and the staff flew from Edwards hand.

_Oh that's right, the disarming spell..._ Edward thought. A wide, Cheshire cat like grin stretched across his face. _I wonder how he'd do with a weapon he couldn't flick from my hands. _

Draco watched as Edward clapped his hands together, though instead of bringing them down to the ground like he usually did, he touched the metal plating of his arm.

From the stands, Harry and the others watched with interest, surprised at how this 'duel' was turning out.

"I can't believe he's showing off his arm to everyone..." Harry said, remembering what Edward had told him earlier.

"It's not like he had much of a choice," Hermione commented. "You saw how badly his shirt was cut up, right?"

Harry nodded, and Ron said,"I'm glad I'm not going up against that...Blimey, is that a sword coming off his arm?"

Ron and Hermione, along with Neville and a few others, went to the railings to get a better look. Harry stayed behind, having already witnessed what they were looking at now. McGonagall watched carefully, waiting to see if she would have to intervene.

Edward walked slowly up to Draco as he tried his last stunning spell. Oddly enough, when it hit the metal, it caused an interesting reaction. Edward shifted a bit, but for the most part the spell was reflected at it's caster. Draco was hit and crumpled to the ground from his own spell.

"I win," Edward said. 

* * *

**Author Note: **

So I'm kinda ticked off at fan fiction for not saving my edits, including what I typed for the author note. Because I am too annoyed to type it ALL out again, I'm going to make this conclusion short and sweet.

I'm changing the chapter titles. Tired of seeing Truth.

I hated how this chapter turned out. It felt to everywhere for my personal taste. However, the plot, along with details, will be much more collected and thought out after the _big event _takes place. Speaking of the _big event_, anyone predict what that may just be? After said big event, I'm probably going to end the fic and start the sequel. I sort of think of this one as like some big Prequel to the main story line anyway, but I still might not. I don't know yet.

Anyway, Instead of having a long filler chapter followed by _big event_ chapter, I'm probably going to have two short chapters and then the _big event._ It all depends.

That being said, the Halloween chapter is coming up very, very soon. So, suggestions for costumes? (This can also include HP characters) If they are good ideas, I'll probably include the them...unless I have a random spur of the moment idea that I just HAVE to do. You know how that is..no stopping it.

Finally, please review. Do you like the way this fic is heading? Would you like to stab me with pitchforks? Have I misspelled minute again, cuz honestly I'm in such a bad mood I don't feel like going back and check.

On a happier note, I'd like to thank all my loyal readers for sticking with this fic and dealing with my crappy updates and inconsistent writing. I love you guys!


	11. Killing Time

AuThOr NoTe: Yay, next chapter. Sorry for the wait!

And Thanks SO MUCH for the many kind reviews :))

Yeah, and I realized after writing this that I should have just attached this to the end of the last chapter, just because it ties in. Oh well.

Enjoy!

* * *

After the duel was officially over, the nurse came to get Malfoy and take him to the hospital wing. Apparently, Malfoy used a curse that was a few steps up from the stunning spell allowed in school, which would explain why he was left still unconscious and missing twenty points from his house cup. The rest of the Slytherins were in a foul mood after that.

And then the questions began. Students in the stands raced to the bottom to get a better look at Edwards arm. Edward sighed, and passed a quick look to McGonagall. She nodded in understanding.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't move from their seat in the stands. With all the rushing students, they would just get caught up half way down. Besides, they knew they shouldn't crowd the older brother. Not yet, anyway.

"Come on," Edward said, quiet enough so that only Alphonse could hear. There was one advantage to Alphonse not having a human body, because his hearing and sight were much better than what they should be. Made life a lot easier sometimes, though he didn't want to get use to it.

The brothers fought their way inside, moving past teachers and students as fast as they could. "Damn boy...," Edward muttered, trying to shield his metal arm with his flesh one.

"You agreed to do it eventually, Brother," Alphonse chided. Edward waved him off in protest. It was one of the agreements made between Edward and Dumbledore, though why the old man wanted the school to know about his arm was beyond him.

"Yeah, whatever. Just didn't expect it to be _this early.._" Edward grumbled, pushing open the door to his room roughly. It slammed into the wall that held it. Alphonse sighed.

Ed threw himself onto his bed. He rolled over, seeing that his coat, along with the rest of his attire, had finally been washed. He tossed them across the room in frustration.

"Brother, calm down. It's not like it's that big of a deal.. in Amestris-"

"In _Amestris_, Al. Here, I doubt there's a place like Rush Valley." Edward retorted. "Here, I'm sure it's much less common, if even possible at all," Edward said.

"But what about that man Dumbledore told us about. What was his name, Moody?" Alphonse asked. "Dumbledore said he had something similar, a prosthetic leg."

Edward bolted upright, "I don't care about this Moody, Moldy, or whoever the hell this guy is. Until I see it, I'm just going to assume something like this-" Edward said, motioning to his arm. "...is new around here."

Alphonse sighed once more, getting frustrated with the way his older brother was acting. "Whatever, Edward. I'm sure they'll get use to it. Now put your clothes on." Alphonse said, and threw Edwards clothes back to him, effectively slamming both owner and clothing into the back wall. Edward shivered. Alphonse was a scary boy.

Harry was feeling anxious. Since Edward and Alphonse had arrived in Hogwarts, there hadn't been enough time after school to hold a meeting with the D.A. The quidditch match and the training with Edward, along with classes has had him and the other members swamped. He considered inviting them both to the meetings, combine training and lessons, but the idea didn't sit well with the others.

"Absolutely not," Ron stated firmly. He, along with Harry, Hermione, and Neville were sitting in the Griffindor common room. The fire was blazing, keeping the room warm and comfortable. Harry looked frustrated that his reasoning was being shot down so quickly.

"Why not?" Harry asked, his face twisted in both confusion and annoyance.

"Because, Harry.." Hermione began. She folded her arms and crossed her legs, signaling that she was getting serious. "The brothers, especially Edward, just don't mix well with magic. You saw how they handled the duel. For Merlin's sake, Harry, they don't even have wands. And Edward, I'd bet ten gallons someone would start something about that arm of his. What benefit would they be?"

Harry didn't want to admit it, but she had a point.

"Mate," Ron began, sounding exasperated. "He'd crash the meeting. There would be smart comments and short rants flying from start to finish. It's just not worth the trouble."

"He could still-" Harry began, but was coming short for words. Hermione had also cut him off.

"Ron's right. Alphonse wouldn't be much trouble, but for the time being they'd just get in the way," Hermione said, and relaxed her features. The discussion was over.

Neville straightened up. It was late, and classes began bright and early tomorrow morning. "Maybe next time, Harry," He said, patting Harry's shoulder once and then making his way upstairs.

Once the trio were alone, Harry changed the topic. "It's going to be a busy few weeks, isn't it?" Harry said, seeing their schedule in his mind. This month there would be two trips to Hogsmeade. One this weekend, the one that was prescheduled and one next weekend on Halloween. Plus, there were assessment test being scheduled for November by none other than Umbridge. Harry couldn't afford to study last minute like he'd been use to doing.

There was a D.A. meeting next week, and a Halloween party after Hogsmeade. Hermione and Ginny would be helping with decorations and planning for that, so the week or so before Halloween would be just Harry and Ron...and the Elric brothers if Harry had to guess.

Harry sighed. What had he gotten himself in to?

Edward was still sulking on his bed. He had changed into his newly washed closed, but left his coat hanging on his bedpost. Alphonse had to transmute Edward new gloves. His previous ones were still out side, probably trampled over by now. He made sure both were on tightly, constantly nagging at the one covering his automail.

"Brother..." Alphonse sighed. He glared down at the blonde. "This is ridiculous."

Edward muttered something into his pillow, sounding suspiciously like, "I want to kill something." Al tensed, and in a flurry of anger, dragged his brother off the bed and forcefully pushed him out the room.

"Al!" Edward yelled in protest. His brother paid no mind. He had to get him out of their room.

Slight Time Warp

The next two days the Elrics were kept busy. Edward didn't attend any of Professor McGonagall's classes, nor did he drop in on any of Harry's. The time he had to himself was spent in the library, doing research on the Philosophers stone. The brothers asked Dumbledore if he knew exactly how to make the stone, to which they were given a shady answer. The process was written down in one of Nicolas' books, though it was lost somewhere in the library, waiting to be found.

When the brother's didn't have their nose stuck in a book, they were running small errands for the staff. Edward decided that he was beginning to like Snape in that, "I know how to tick you off," kind of way. Of course, Edward was sure Snape's feelings were not mutual.

Most of the staff loved Alphonse, despite his appearance. Being as old as some were, most had met stranger people. The charms teacher, however, was still a bit intimidated by Alphonse's size. Most of that came from him being much less than average height.

Edward, for the most part during the next couple days, stuck to staying hidden from the public eye. He found that he preferred it that way, at least until the gossip died down. Though, he was beginning to come to the conclusion that his brother was making a good point. It wasn't _that_ big of a deal, right?

Finally, the day came that the brother's feared would never come. The weekend.

"About time!" Edward exclaimed, heading back inside his room to grab his coat. "I'm so damn tired of this schedule."

"Relax, Brother. It's not that bad," Alphonse replied. The headed off to meet McGonagall right after, the eldest now equipped with a nice chunk of change - given to them by Dumbledore for their help around the school.

They were going to Diagon Ally.

"I still don't get why we need wands..." Edward said as the two walked the corridors. It was already fairly empty, students were already heading off to some place called Hogsmeade. "It's not like we can't manage without them."

"We don't know what we might need them for," Alphonse said. "And besides, there is still the chance we're muggles after all."

Edward perked up. He rather liked that idea. If he and his brother were muggles, then that would mean the professors around here would stop nagging them about going out and getting a wand.

Though he would openly admit, the trip out of the castle would be nice. Staying put was not something the brother's were good at.

"Either way, Brother. We have to go to Diagon Ally, you need winter clothes," Alphonse stated, which brought a rather disturbing thought to the eldest brother, one he wouldn't share just yet.

How cold did it get around the castle...and how well would his automail hold up? Last thing he needed was a repeat of Briggs mountain, almost resulting in severe frost bite where the freezing metal met with his skin.

Edward pulled out his pocket watch, his brow twitching as he read the time. "Dammit..." He muttered.

"You read the time wrong again, Brother?" Alphonse guessed. He was amused. Edward nodded stiffly and started making his way towards the Griffindor common room.

"C'mon," Edward said. "We have time to kill."

The brothers stepped through the portrait hole, glad that they remembered the password, and walked inside to see most of the group lounging about. Harry and Ron were playing a round of chess, Neville was sitting by the fire, and the Twins were on their way out. A boy named Dean was saying something to Neville before heading out with the Twins.

"Where's Hermione?" Edward asked. It was odd seeing Ron and Harry together without her. He took a seat on one of the couches with Al. The fire felt nice.

Harry broke his concentration for a moment, which in turn let Ron get a better move against him. Harry sighed in defeat. "She's with Ginny, they're helping set up for the party next weekend."

"Oh..." Edward said, remembering that someone had mentioned that a while back. He just couldn't bring himself to dig up more details.

"What kind of party, Harry?" Al asked, looking over with interest.

"The Halloween party, Alphonse," Harry said, finding it odd that the two hadn't known about it already. Were they really that involved in the research they said they'd been doing? Or did they just not care much about what was happening around the school.

"Oh, that's right.." Alphonse said, his face going blank. His mind deep in thought.

"You two have been out of it lately," Ron stated, though his gaze didn't drift from the chess table. "Well, more so than usual."

"Tell you what, come back to the common room... well, after me and Ron get back from Hogsmeade." Harry said. "We can get you caught up."

"What time? Me and Al are going to be in..uh.. Diagon Ally, I think," Edward said, passing a quick glance to his brother to make sure he had the name right.

"Diagon Ally?" Harry asked, now interested.

"What for?" Ron said, finally looking up from the chess board. Check mate, Harry had lost.

"McGonagall," Edward said, as if that woman were the answer to everything, the real reason. And really, it was.

Seeing that his brother would say no more, Alphonse said, "She wants us to get wands. And we also need to stock up on a few other supplies. It's our first shopping trip since we've arrived."

Harry and Ron shared a look, almost devious. "First time, you say?" Ron said.

"Mind if we come?" Harry asked. Edward shrugged, and the two took that as a yes. It would be an... interesting trip.

* * *

**Author Note: **Diagon Allly with the Elrics. Fun? Slightly Dangerous? Heh heh.

Anyway, instead of two chapters before the big event chapter (this being one of them), I'm splitting the second one into two. Next Chapter will be Diagon Ally, and the next Halloween. I don't want to squeeze them together.

Anyway, next chapter should be up soon.

Review :)

Thanks for reading!


	12. Diagon Alley

**AuThOr NoTe:** So I've gotten a few questions, and I'm going to try and answer them as best I can. I may not answer all of them.. but there are a couple I feel that I should.

OkAY, so.. When this fic began, I planned a whole other plot. Now, it's kind of changing. So in order to not overload each chapter and force too many events to happen at one time(which would in turn come out really crappy) I'm kinda spitting things up.

Someone (please forgive me for not taking the time to write your names, but Its late and I;m in a bit of a rush) asked about the war with Umbridge. That will most definitely come, but really I think Ed and Al are a bit preoccupied at this precise moment to worry about some old hag. But don't worry, the time _will _most definitely come. I have already put in a few random things in previous chapters to set up for that exact war.

But to be truthful, I don't want to be repeatative. Nearly everyone enters Ed and Al into Harry's fifth year (and I don't blame them, it's easier on the author to weave together two plots without getting totally lost and insane) and they have some issue between the three. (Again, It's bound to happen, especially with their own personalities.)

Now, there has also been another issue bothering me, nothing anyone brought up, but something nagging at me in the back of my mind. Let's just assume that the Ministry of Magic doesn't keep _that_ close of an eye on who really is and isn't a part of their country. It's magical, isn't it? People can just pop up at random. Though I do plan on bringing up that issue eventually. Maybe Dumbledore could pull something.

One last thing, someone said something about wands. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "specially made" wands. My original plan was to just have Olivander find some random wands that fit the brothers. Sure, I'd do a bit of research so I wasn't pulling complete crap out of thin air, and that I would be staying true to HP ingredients. I don't see the need for them to have special wands, _if_ they get them at all. I haven't made up my mind just yet. (I am in fact writing this before I've gotten to that particular event, so I don't even know at this point. I suppose we'll all have to find out together, wont we? :)

* * *

The hour that remained because of Ed's misreading of his watch passed quickly, and soon the young blonde had stood up from where he sat on the couch. Edward glanced at his watch, this time making sure he read it correctly. "Alright, Al. Time to go." Alphonse nodded.

"You su-" Alphonse began, but was cut off by his brother.

"Yes. Alphonse. I'm sure," Edward said flatly, stomping out of the common room. Harry and Ron followed the brothers out, though at a safe distance. The two friends could see the sparks between the two brothers, though the tension eased when Alphonse chuckled.

The four walked quickly through the corridors, trying to keep up with Edwards fast pace. Who knew one with such small legs could move that fast.

"Everyone must really like this Hogsmeade place.." Al commented. There were literally no students or professors in the halls. The only one they passed was the caretaker, Mr. Filch. He scowled at the four as they passed, muttering something along the lines of "rotten kids."

Harry and Ron looked almost shocked. Hogsmeade was the most looked forward to event. It was the only time the students were really given freedom to do what they wanted. The professors usually spent their time crowded together in gossip, which lifted a load off the students. Everyone had the chance to relax.

"That's right," Harry said, just remembering that the two hadn't had the chance to visit yet. "You haven't gone."

"It's great," Ron stated. "There are shops and a lot of places to just hang out. Plus, the professors aren't breathing down our back." Ron then peeked around his back, almost instinctively, to check for those hidden, sneaky professors. He exhaled in relief as all he saw was Mr. Filch rounding a corner and disappearing from sight.

"Sounds nice." Edward stated, though his tone was almost sarcastic. Really, Ed would probably go if he hadn't already planned on going get supplies with Professor McGonagall. There wouldn't be enough time.

Normally, Harry and Ron wouldn't miss a trip to Hogsmeade, but they couldn't just pass up an opportunity to go to Diagon Alley. Plus, it should be fun to watch the brothers.

Edward led the way to McGonagall's office, where she was waiting behind a desk of neatly stacked papers and files. She looked up, her eyebrow lifting when she saw Harry and Ron trail in behind the brothers. She wasn't expecting them.

"Hello, Edward. Alphonse," McGonagall greeted. Then, passing a glance to Harry and Ron, said, "Were you aware that you had some followers?"

Harry and Ron smiled sheepishly. Then, Harry said, "We were hoping that we could tag along."

"We don't mind, Professor," Alphonse said. He thought it would nice to have the extra company.

McGonagall was skeptical for a moment. "You do not wish to go to Hogsmeade?"

"Well.." Ron began.

"We planned on it, but we thought this would be a...nice opportunity," Harry finished. He looked hopeful. Ron passed a knowing gaze to Harry, grateful that he covered for him. Ron wasn't the best at...bending the truth.

"Just let them come." Edward said. "I'll never hear the end of it if you say no." He smirked.

McGonagall sighed. She picked up her traveling bag and said, "Very well. Follow me, we've wasted enough time."

Harry and Ron shared a look, today would be a good day. Edward and Alphonse were getting excited...until they walked up to a large, grand fireplace. McGonagall continued forward, and reached for a small pouch hanging off to the side.

"Go on," McGonagall said, gesturing towards it. "Take some powder, and step into the flames."

Edward just stared at it. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. "Eh..what?"

"You've never used the floo system before, have you?" Ron asked, trying to hide his smirk.

"The _what?_" Edward asked. Alphonse was still staring at the silvery powder.

"Floo network," McGonagall said. It hadn't occurred to her that the Elric's had probably never traveled by floo before... "It's magic connects all the fireplaces of the wizarding community for instantaneous travel."

"...how?" Alphonse asked, intrigued. He stared at the fireplace. Could he even fit? It _looked_ large enough...

"Take the powder and throw it into the flames. When they turn green, step inside and tell it where you would like to go, Diagon Alley," McGonagall said. Edward's gaze shifted, and he looked at her like she was insane.

"You've got to be kidding me. You want me to walk _into_ the fire?" Edward said. This was ridiculous. Did they honestly think he would believe something like this. Sure, he accepted the magic, but this was just nuts.

"Yes, Mr. Elric. I do," McGonagall said, her tone showed that she was becoming annoyed. Honestly, it wasn't that hard of a concept to understand. She would think that with all he'd experienced, and all he knew prior, that something as simple as traveling by floo would be easy to process.

Edward Elric walked cautiously up to the flames, which were definitely real, and definitely _very_ hot. He doubled back to study the powder. "I'm not doing that, sorry. It's even less logical than magic." He crossed his arms in a fit of pure stubbornness.

"It _is_ magic." McGonagall sighed, placing a small hand full of powder into Ron's hand. "Ronald, would you show him?" Ed couldn't help but grin at the use of his full name. Ron ignored that.

With a nod, he walked up to the fire and tossed in the powder. Edward stared in disbelief that he was actually pulling through. He was still thinking that this was all some stupid joke. Al watched with interest, a bit more open minded than his brother as he watched the flames turned green.

Ron walked into the flames, simultaneously saying, "Diagon Alley." The next moment, he was engulfed and disappeared. The fire returned to normal.

"You're next, Mr. Elric," McGonagall said, urging the young boy forward with a fist full of floo powder. Cautiously, he tossed in the powder and waited for the flames to turn green. Taking a deep breath, he went against his better knowledge and walked inside the growing fire. He didn't feel a thing. Quickly, before he thought the flames would revert back to their original state, he said, "Diagon Alley."

If asked, Edward wouldn't be able to describe that particular experience. All he was able to process were the random sightings of the other sides of fireplaces and the fact that he was beginning to become very, _very_ dizzy. When his surroundings stilled, he was lying on his back in some old looking tavern. Ron grinned.

"Glad you made it, mate. Wasn't that bad, now was it?" Ron said, putting out his hand to help Edward up. Ed, still a bit shaken up, made the mistake of taking his help with his right hand. Edward had held on a tad too to tight for Ron's comfort. Ron winced, causing Edward to shrink back.

"Eh.. Sorry," Edward mumbled. "Wrong-" Edward was cut off. His brother had stumbled out of the fireplace, effectively falling right on top his older brother.

"Brother!" Al yelled, scrambling to get his weight off of Ed, who was lying there motionless, arm still slightly raised in the air, towards Ron.

"Hand..." Edward mumbled hoarsely, his breath slowly returning from when it was knocked out his lungs. Seeing that his brother was alright, Alphonse and Ron burst into laughter.

Harry and McGonagall arrived soon after, confused though as to why Edward's front was covered in dust. His hair was out of place and his clothes were ruffled. With a deep sight, Edward brushed off his clothes and pulled his hair into pony tail, again not bothering with a braid.

"Did we miss anything?" Harry asked, looking on at the scene with interest, as were the others in the old tavern.

"Nope," Edward said, signaling the topic wasn't open for discussion. "Where to first?"

McGonagall sighed in a knowing way, but didn't press the matter. "Come along. We're going to head to Ollivander's."

The four followed McGonagall out of the tavern, which they had learned was called The Leaky Cauldron, and into the streets. Neither of the brothers understood the choice of name.

They past many shops and small stands, each looking more unique than the last. It was fascinating, and left Edwards stomach growling. Alphonse grew agitated.

"Brother, didn't you eat?" Alphonse scolded, thinking back to the morning before. He did eat, didn't he?

His stomach growled again. "Of course I ate!" Edward said, flailing his arms around wildly. The group behind him sighed.

"Well, he is a growing boy," Harry teased, chuckling darkly. If only he knew just how true his words are. They theory that Edward was growing for both himself and his brother was still believed, at least to them. Honestly, it was the only explanation they could come across to explain his sleeping and eating habits. Though Edward might be a bit reluctant, he is in no way lazy, nor can he afford to be.

Edwards temper flared, "I'm not short! I don't.. I don't... I'm not short!"

The group ignored him, much unlike the crowded street, who were gawking as they past. Eventually, Ed's temperature settled and the group were able to shop in an atmosphere of almost peace.

Much to McGonagall's disapproval, Edward forced everyone to stop for food. Ron and Edward, however, were the only ones to eat, being rushed along by their chaperon.

As they continued on down the long stretch of stops and stalls, the brother's were amazed that all of this was hidden from the muggles. They brother's had read about this place, how it was where most wizards did their shopping and ran errands. It was also where Gringotts was, the bank where most held their life's savings. It was all amazing.

"Here we are," McGonagall said. "Hurry inside."

They did as they were told, the two brothers filing in first. They looked around the tiny establishment in awe. Though it was compact, what the brothers estimated to be hundreds of wands lined the many shelves behind the counter. A few were scattered on the counter, probably used but never bought nor picked up. The brothers stepped up, Ollivander was no where in sight.

"Hello?" Edward called, impatiently tapping his metal fingers against the hard wood of the counter. There was a shuffle, the sound of something falling to the floor, and then the group saw an old man rounding the corner of one of the shelves behind his counter. It was Ollivander.

"Hello," Ollivander greeted simply. He smiled widely, his eyes were border line of being called erratic. There was an unusual calm about the man, however, that unsettled Edward. He wondered if his brother felt it too.

_What is it with all the old men here?_ Edward thought. _Are they all senile._

He thought about his brigadier general - the old man back in Amestris - and then about Pinako. Maybe it was just all old people.

Ollivander gazed at the brothers expectantly expectantly, waiting on someone to speak. Edward was still caught up on the old man's presence. "We're here..." Alphonse began, but was interrupted by Ollivander, who looked up at Al for the first time.

"Merlin's beard, that's odd!" Ollivander stated, rather bluntly. Edward clenched his fist, a second away from sending it right at the old man, who didn't seem frightened, only amused.

"Hey!" Edward growled, the group behind the brother's held in their breath, waiting to see what would happen.

Edward was just about to tell the old man off when he suddenly burst out with, "Wands! Yes, of coarse. You two need wands, don't you?" Ed swore he saw the old man smirk before he disappeared again behind his shelves. He came back a moment later, his own wand pulled out.

"Wha..?" Ed muttered, utterly confused at the sudden mood change. As was Dumbledore, this man is senile.

"Almost forgot. I need measurements, hold out your wand arm, please," Ollivander said, receiving nothing but blank looks from the brothers. Harry stepped up, and patted Ed on the back.

"He means the arm you write with," Harry said. Immediately, the confused haze lifted and the brothers did as they were asked.

Edward held out his left hand, and Alphonse his right. Ollivander waved his wand and measuring tape zoomed by, doing their jobs and heading back. All was silent for a quick moment, before Ollivander came out once more carrying a few stacks of wand cases. "Here we are," He said, and laid them out before the brothers. There were about ten or so in all.

"Based on your measurements, and this peculiar sense that I've received from you two, I'd say these match you best," Ollivander began. "Now, which of you shall go first?"

Edward, still feeling the most uneasy about this whole experience, recommended that his brother be the first to try them out. Alphonse agreed, determined to get this over with and find his wand. Ollivander opened a few boxes, and picked one of them up gingerly. He handed it to Alphonse.

"I don't believe it's a perfect match, but we'll see. Give it a wave," Ollivander said, not giving many details about the structure of the wand in question. It looked roughly ten inches, and Ollivander said something about a phoenix feather. The designs were rather plain, and Alphonse didn't get a very nice vibe from the wood.

Al flicked the wand at some drawers. They shook a bit, but didn't cause a lasting effect. The wand was a dud. Ollivander nodded in understanding and pulled out another. It was the same drill, Ollivander handed Alphonse the wand and he waved, causing various effects. After a few tries, Ollivander was left with opened drawers, a busted vase, and a few smoking books.

"No, no. Let us try a different approach," Ollivander said, heading to the back to pull a couple more boxes. Alphonse was beginning to feel defeated, but he forced himself to keep up his determination. It was decided, Alphonse would find a wand. "Here we are," Ollivander said, strolling back up to the front with a case in each hand.

"The boxes are different," Alphonse noted. The previous ones were cased in black, these were in green.

"Yes, yes. Well I _do_ like to keep myself somewhat organized," Ollivander stated with a wide grin. Alphonse nodded as though it made perfect sense. He was handed the first wand. "This one is made of holly, same as Mr. Potter here," Ollivander said, Harry grinned. "Ten inches, and rather sturdy. There's a bit of unicorn hair woven in as well. Go on, try it out."

Alphonse picked up the wand gingerly. He knew the moment that Ollivander uncased it that this was his wand. There were many details put into this wand, carvings and different designs. In a sense, it looked battered, but intriguing as well. He wove it with care, causing the drawers to shut gently and the broken vase to revert back to its original state. Edward, along with Ollivander, looked impressed. "I'll take this one," Alphonse said, and placed it carefully back in its case.

Edward was up next.

He walked up to the counter after Alphonse had backed away, leaving the wand still in its case on the counter. Ron, who had been watching Alphonse with interest, shared a look with Harry. They had absolutely no idea how this was going to go. They new Ed's personality, how he was easily frustrated and impatient, and God help Ollivander if he made any comment on Ed's height. McGonagall stayed where she sat, in the back watching intently.

"So how does this work, old man?" Edward asked conversationally. The careless banter wasn't exactly rude, but it still caused McGonagall to scowl. Ollivander grinned, pushing up the set that he reserved for this brother to start with.

"Different for each person," Ollivander said, his expression temporarily going blank, his eyes glazing over as if he was reliving some distant memory. Within seconds he was regrounded, talking to Edward once again. His eyes, however, still held that dreamy look. "And you are most different, indeed," Ollivander stated. Edward wasn't sure if that was suppose to be offensive or not, so he settled with a flattened grin to show his displeasure for that particular comment.

"What are you trying to say?" Edward asked, not exactly following the man. He waited almost patiently for an answer.

Ollivander uncased each wand, and then said, "I try this every now and then, sometimes it speeds up the process for those tricky orders. Do any of these catch your eye?" He waited expectantly, curious to see which wand Edward would settle for.

Ed, on the other hand, wasn't on the same thinking process as the old man. Instead, he glanced at the wands and picked one up at random. Ollivander raised and eyebrow, and motioned for Edward to try it out. He flicked it, effectively shattering the very same vase Alphonse had just fixed, after he himself had broke it, of course. Edward scowled; he hadn't liked the outcome.

"Go on, really try this time," Ollivander encouraged, after Ed had put the wand back in its case. He sighed, figuring that if he played the old man's games he might get out of here quicker. He was already in a foul mood, if he could work a wand – even if it was a rather distructive attempt – he obviousy wasn't a muggle.

_Damn magic, _Edward thought to himself. Ollivander eyed him suspiciously, as if he could get inside Ed's head by merely reading his facial expression.

With a sigh, he looked over each wand carefully, his eyes finally resting on the one that stood out to him the most. He picked it up and examined it.

"Hornbeam," Ollivander said. "9 1/2 inches. Two phoenix feathers and a bit stiff, though not bad for transfiguration." He looked at Edward with a knowing gaze, slightly setting him on edge.

Following his gut, he waved the wand. The shattered vase attempted to reassemble itself, but ended up just crumpling back to the floor. Ollivander was silent for a moment, studying Edward carefully. "Yes, yes. This one for you then, I'll ring them up," Ollivander said, already heading over to figure the price. Edward scoffed, something didn't sit well with him.

"But it didn't work," Ed said in protest. He didn't wanted to be cheated. If he was buying a wand, dammit it would be one that worked properly.

Ollivander peeked up at him, another amused grin playing at his lips. "Oh, I find with a little self confidence the wand with work just as it's suppose to."

Edward sighed, but didn't argue. He wouldn't admit it, but he knew how he felt about magic. There was this constant, crushing fear of failure clinging on to everything he did that he absolutely despised. Even with magic, he didn't want do poorly. Sure he didn't like it, but his negativity and lack of belief in the oddness and improbability of it all didn't do much to boost his self confidence.

So, taking a leap of blind faith, he decided to trust the senile old man.

A few minutes later, the wands were ready and Edward payed the man. "Here you are, take good care of them," Ollivander said, before waving them off to assist another customer. Odd as that old man was, he was still a business man.

"That went...well?" Edward said, not sure what to make of the experience.

"I would agree," McGonagall said, ushering off the group in the direction of more shops. "I'm rather proud of the both of you. It was handled quite well, more so than I expected."

Alphonse beamed, "It was pretty amazing, wasn't it? I wasn't sure if they would actually work for us, though I guess we aren't muggles after all."

Edward nearly scoffed. "Joy," he muttered sarcastically, though a grin stretched across his face. "Where to next?"

"Where would you like to go?" McGonagall asked, stopping in the middle of the crowded street.

"We don't exactly know the area," Edward sighed. He did a quick turn, trying to survey his surroundings, but he really didn't have the faintest idea. The fact that nearly everyone was at least a head taller didn't help much either.

"Well," Harry began, taking a step towards the eldest brother. "There's shops for practically everything you can imagine."

Ron decided to join in then. "Brooms," he said, to which Edward replied with a glare. "R-robes, and casual clothes."

"There's also a book store, which you two may be interested in," McGonagall added, pointing to a rather large building off in the distance. The brothers made a mental note to check that place out before they headed back.

"Oh," Harry said, remembering yet another place. "There's also a pet store. I'm not sure if you're aware, but we're allowed a pet."

Edward cringed. The last thing they needed was a pet to take care of. He shuddered at the thought, the mental image of a lonely, starved animal in the back of his mind.

"What kind of pets?" Alphonse asked, cautiously. Edward eyed his brother.

_Damn, I know where he's going with this,_ Edward thought to himself, praying that Karma would give him a break.

"We only allow four different types. Everyone is allowed an owl, along with either a rat, toad, or a cat," McGonagall explained. There was a moment of silence. The two brothers stared at each other. Edwards gaze was steady, firm. Alphonse was hopeful, but on the verge of crazed. The bystanders looked on in an awkward silence.

"Brother-" Alphonse began, but was immediately cut off.

"No," Edward said simply.

"But, Brother! Alphonse yelled in protest. Somehow, moisture was welling up in the groves of metal around his eyes.

"Al, we can't take care of any animals." Ed said, laying his tone out thick. This was one of the only times in which the two brothers would get into a serious argument. You just can't mess with Al and his love of cats.

"I just want a kitten! You never let me keep one!" Alphonse said, his voice was wavering. Edward felt his chest constricting. He wanted to let his brother have his way, he did, but logically it just wasn't a good idea. What would happen to the cat when they made their way back home? It would be abandoned.

Edward marched off, "We can't Al! Now come on!"

His brother was quick to follow, but not because he had given up. For the next fifteen minutes, he threw out everything he could think of, all the brother jabs that usually got him what he wanted. Alphonse wasn't spoiled, life had forced him to be otherwise. However, he found nothing wrong having the need to want every now and again.

Eventually, the tirade stopped. All the while, while Edward and Alphonse marched in a random direction, the wizarding trio followed behind them in silence. Harry and Ron shared a quick conversation, a light bet about who would win, but that was all.

As they continued the discussion, Harry decided to point out where exactly they were. "Hey, Al. Turn around."

There was silence from the brothers, and Al turned around slowly. His eyes lit up, brighter than a thousand suns as he looked through the front glass of the building they were standing in front of. They found the pets.

Without another word to or from his brother, Alphonse darted inside. Ron punched Harry in the arm, muttering something about cheating, and followed behind Al.

Edward and McGonagall were left standing outside, Ed in a slight state of shock. When it wore off a moment later, he was left with nothing but a flash of pent up anger.

"Dammit Al!" He yelled, loud enough to cause McGonagall to flinch. He walked inside, stalking behind his brother, leaving the old professor staring through the glass at the retreating blond. "Pick out a cat!"

Alphonse won.

* * *

**Author Note: **And it changes again! One more chapter of Diagon Alley after this, though it will most likely be short. Then Halloween chapter, a splish splash of comedic drama, and finally THE BIG EVENT! Muhahahahaha

Review! Al's getting a cat! Name ideas?

Thanks for reading, you guys have been so supportive!


	13. Only Human

**AuThOr NoTe: **I feel that the last author note was far to long... sooo...

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Fullmetal or Harry Potter. If I did, this fic would be a thousand times better and possibly made into an anime. (:

Btwww, thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! Especially to... how helped me with deciding on the appearance and name of Al's cat.

And here we go!

BTW: Please excuse any lack of attention to Al's new cat. I'm ready to move this plot to a more serious note.

* * *

Edward didn't know what he was getting himself into. He sighed, standing next to his brother with a scowl. His fist clenched as he handed the cashier his money, locking eyes with his brother in bitter defeat. The cashier turned and handed over a carrier. Inside was a small, black feline. She was young, only about a month old, and had striking amber eyes.

"You sure, Al?" Edward asked, looking over the feline with interest. It took his brother less time than he originally thought to pick one out, but eventually he settled. It helped that the feline seemed to be one of the only ones curious about Al's armor. The others backed away. "She's so small..."

Alphonse clutched the carrier, "She's young. She's suppose to be small..."

Edward rubbed at his chin, thinking in deep concentration. "If you say so, let's just get out of here." He walked past his brother and headed straight for the door leading out. He sneezed the second his foot passed over the threshold. Annoyed, he muttered a curse. He'd been resisting the urge the entire time they were there, and he cracks now... great.

Harry, Ron and Professor McGonagall were waiting outside. They knew better than to get involved. It took Harry and Ron all but five minutes to figure out they were only getting in the way before they left to rejoin with McGonagall, who hadn't dared enter in the first place.

"So he actually got one?" Ron asked in disbelief. The look on his face was hard to describe. It was a look that was stuck between disappointment and amusement, one that puzzled the brothers but caused Harry to grin. "Let me see, mate."

Harry crossed his arms and stood with a smug grin on his face. He stayed put as his best friend went up for a better look, hearing him ask about the feline's name. He admitted he was curious as well. McGonagall had the traces of a smile growing on her lips.

"Her name is Amber," Alphonse said. Then, at the looks Ron and Harry were giving him, Al added, "Because of her eyes."

* * *

The rest of their trip was fairly uneventful. The brothers stopped by a few shops, though they didn't stay long in each. Edward would settle with taking one look at a shop and then moving on, muttering something about physics as he passed. They did go to a few potion shops, having an earlier, brief discussion with Snape and deciding to give it a try.

"Why not?" Edward said simply when Harry asked about it. "It might help in one form of the other, so it's not a bad idea to learn at least the basics."

Harry, knowing the hateful manner of his professor, was left with a scowl on his face as they left the last of the potions shops.

"You two really do have a thirst for knowledge, don't you?" Ron asked, his tone was more than sarcastic. Regardless, the brothers nodded and didn't say anything else on the matter, though McGonagall commented.

"Both a blessing and a curse," She said, and they continued walking.

Before they officially ended their little shopping trip, the brothers did stop by the library to get a quick glance at their selection. Much to their disappointment, most of the books they found were already in Dumbledor's collection at Hogwarts.

"Useless," Edward muttered angrily. Alphonse nodded in agreement.

"Let's just get these and leave," Alphonse said, and the boys paid for the few books that they did manage to get their hands on, though they didn't seem as if they would provide them with much that they hadn't already learned. It was something they would have to figure out later. The brothers were getting restless, time growing closer and closer to sundown. They were ready to leave.

Once outside again, they had a brief conversation with their party and decided to call it a day. The brothers would call it a success, having acquired a few knew sets of clothes, potions ingredients, and what would hopefully be books with new information. Almost regrettably, Edward noted the small feline that was now in Al's possession, and the wands both brothers had acquired.

They thanked McGonagall when they returned, and told Harry and Ron that they would meet up later. Each brother had an armful of new possessions that they needed to move to their room. It surprised the brothers just how bare it was before their new things were scattered, er...organized into the room.

Now, it had a small hint of messy character.

Once the books were on their shelf and the clothes and potions were tucked away, Alphonse took Amber out of her carrier and the brothers left to meet up with Harry and the others in the Griffindor common room.

Along the way, Edward couldn't help but comment on the feline on Al's shoulder, the one that seemed to gain a sudden interest with the long, feather like thing coming from his helmet. "I'm surprised."

"About what?" Alphonse said, curious as he followed his older brother's gaze to his cat.

"The..her name, Amber. It's so normal," Edward said with mock surprise. Alphonse gazed down as his older brother, and Edward could sense an evil aurora coming from his possessed suit of armor.

"And you would know normal?" Alphonse said, his tone was calm.

Edward's brow furrowed, what was Alphonse thinking? "Don't say it..."

"Because I could name a few _normal_ things about you...such as your height," Alphonse began, Edward flinched next to him, his fist clenching tightly at his side. "_That's _normal."

"..."

"What? I can't hear you brother, you'll have to speak _up_." Alphonse mocked.

For a split second, there was nothing but dull silence. The chatter in the halls at that moment ceased, the only notable sound being the draft that made it's way inside.

"I'M NOT SHORT! Dammit Al! I shouldn't have let you get that cat!" Edward ranted, running around his younger brother in protest, reaching for the feline on his shoulder. Alphonse stood there, picking up Amber and holding her in his hands way above Edwards head. The argument continued.

"I would have gotten her anyway!" Alphonse whined, carefully waving Amber through the air. She meowed in protest, her eyes glaring down at the older blonde for causing such ruckus.

In their fit, the brothers didn't notice Harry begin to approach them. For most of the argument Harry was silent, but after seeing Edward try and kick Alphonse he decided to intervene. Edward looked over, the loud echo of clashing metal ringing through the halls.

"Hi, Harry." Alphonse said cheerfully, all evidence from his earlier moment of evil had completely evaporated. Edward was still fuming.

"Um, Hi," Harry said, feeling a bit out of place. "I thought I would come find you, seemed you would have been up to the common room by now..."

"Whatever.." Edward muttered, and stalked through the halls behind Harry and Alphonse.

* * *

When the three made it up to the common room they saw that Hermione and Ron were already there, sitting on the couch in front of a steadily blazing fire. The conversation that they were having died as Harry approached them with the two Elric's following behind.

It was almost comical to see the expression on Edward's face as he sat down on one of the seats nearest to the fire. It was like he couldn't decide whether he was still pissed off or wanted to give in to the pleasure he was feeling as the heat warmed the metal at his side. After a moment of what looked like indecision, his expression faded completely until all that was left was his neutral, collected glare.

Alphonse, on the other hand, opted to sitting cross-legged adjacent to his brother, Amber curled in his lap.

"Oooh," Hermione cooed, seeing the feline pop her head up to see over Al's leg. "Is that your kitten, Alphonse? She's adorable!"

Alphonse nodded vigorously, opposite of his brother who had crossed his arms. Harry grinned. Ron still seemed to still be getting over the shock he felt. Edward noted offhandedly that the light from the fire turned the hue of Ron's already orange hair even brighter. He tucked the discovery away for later use.

"So, what's this about?" Edward said. In the time that the two brothers had been here, not once were they asked up for something like this. They were use to the isolation, not that they didn't enjoy the company, or lack thereof. Really, it just depended on their mood. They had each other, wasn't much else they needed.

Harry leaned back, "Nothing really, we all just thought that you two needed some socialization." Ron smirked at that, turning his head towards Hermione.

"Yeah, even Hermione doesn't bury her head in the books _that _often...ow!" Ron said, being hit by one of the books that he was just referring too.

Edward resisted the urge to gawk at them, getting the exact opposite effect that the trio was intending. "You called us all the way up here...to have a little chat? We have important work to do." The tone of Edwards voice seemed to go mostly unnoticed by the others, though Hermione sensed slight irritation in his tone.

"You're going to get stressed out if you two don't take a break," Hermione said, matter-of-factly. Behind Edwards carefully composed mask, he was shocked. It actually seemed like they were worried. Still, it didn't change anything. He had to get home so he could get his brother's body back, there was nothing else that mattered. Now wasn't the time to be forming any attachments with this world, and it still pained him that when and if they got back, Al's cat probably wouldn't be able to come with them. Edward pushed this thought aside, looking back towards Hermione with a steely look in his eye.

"Nothing new," Edward said, his tone was thick. Really, the two boys didn't have the time to think about trivial things like stress. They were use to the workload, especially when so much was at stake.

"We're fine, Hermione," Alphonse assured, which only made her worry more. She knew it was wrong to act like the mother figure for these boys, knowing hardly anything about them, but that only seemed to push her to dig deeper. They were so young to be acting the way they were now.

"You're only human," Hermione argued. "It isn't healthy for either of you."

Ed scowled. crossing his arms while a small, gruff noise escaped from his throat. What did they know about what was healthy for them? What did they know about the limits of being, 'only human.' Being _only _human didn't stop Truth from ripping away his limbs when all he wanted was to gain some inch towards happiness. It didn't stop Al's soul from being torn from his body, clinging to a cold suit of armor. It didn't stop them from being put through a hell that the trio couldn't even begin to imagine. Being _only human_ gave them no excuse.

"Don't underestimate us," Edward said, his tone growing dark, glaring up at the group with a fiery stare. "You don't know our limits, don't assume you know anything about us or what we're capable of." The casual, yet threatening roll of his voice put the tree on edge.

"Calm down, Ed. She's just making a point," Ron said, defending his friend. "This isn't anything to be worked up about." Alphonse silently stroked Amber, knowing that this wasn't an argument he should be involved in. He believed his brother had a point, but hoped that he wouldn't take it too far.

"It's just different for us," Harry said, breaking into a slightly different topic. He didn't understand how they pretend like this wasn't affecting them, how it was nothing at all. He could see the dark circles under the eyes that were beginning to dull. The spark and cocky tone he normally wore with pride was fading. He needed rest, a break from whatever research he was doing. "We can't say we know what you're doing any of this for, but we can see that it's affecting you."

"You're right," Edward said, keeping a steady tone, though his glare was still set firmly in place. "You_ don't_ know, nor will you ever understand."

There was a deep silence, a tension that was building anger. Ron was most neutral in this discussion, but Harry and Hermione felt the bubbles of irritation. Alphonse stared at the floor. He didn't like to see his brother argue with their new friends, but there was nothing he could do to make Edward change his mind. If he made him hold back, it would only eat away at him later.

Harry had to force his mind blank. He was only tying to help, yet it was getting pushed aside without a second thought, covered by sarcastic remarks. This whole time, they were just trying to help the boys, pulling them away from their work, sure, but for their own good. Maybe the Elrics's couldn't see what they were doing to themselves, but Harry could.

"Why don't you tell us, then?" Harry said, his tone was none short of being sarcastic. "What is it that has you two so worked up? We haven't seen you at all the last few days, and when we do you're buried under a mountain of books." His voice was rising, but that was the furthest of his worries.

"That's none of your damn business, you don't need to be involved," Edward yelled. It wasn't loud enough to draw any unwanted attention, but it was loud enough to get his point across.

"Involved in _what?_" Harry yelled back, his own temper flaring. He hated being left out. He had been left in the dark all summer, left out of the Order meetings, and quite honestly he was sick of it.

"Didn't I _just _say it was none of your _damn_ buisness?" Edwards tone was low and his words were being said out slowly. Alphonse looked up then, passing a wary glance between the four in front of him.

"Brother..."

"_What?" _Edward snapped._  
_

"They're just trying to help us," Alphonse said, saying his words carefully in an attempt to calm down his brother.

"We don't need any help. They'd just get in the way!" Edward said, now arguing the matter with his brother. Alphonse knew he didn't mean it in an offensive way, he was being truthful and the younger brother understood that, but he was sure the others wouldn't.

"It's nice to know you think so bloody high of us," Harry said, his voice a cross between sarcasm, anger and hurt. The other two were shocked into silence over the young alchemist and wizard's outburst.

For a moment, Edward cooled off, feeling a slight pang of guilt from what he'd just said, though he knew that it was only the truth of the matter. "I didn't mean it like that Harry," the older boy said, trying to keep his temper in control while also calming the raven haired wizard down. "It's just... you don't understand."

There was another short silence. "Then," Harry began, saying each word that followed separately. "_Why_ don't you _help us_ understand?" By this point, Edward knew he'd lost this battle. Before hand, he'd made the conclusion that it was only a matter of time before the trio would find out the truth about them, whether it was by accident or by them willingly sharing that information. With a defeated sigh, he let the rest of his anger and frustration out, the rant passing as quickly as it had come on.

"Hell," Edward muttered, scratching the back of his head. "That senile old man was right. You lot are too curious for your own good." Alphonse let out a metaphorical breath of air, relieved that his brother had finally calmed down. Harry looked utterly confused, his emotions still at a high. He resisted the urge to strangle the older brother, and focused more on what had just happened. Had he actually won this battle?

"Sit back down," Edward said, snapping Harry out of his daze. Somewhere between all the shouting, the boys had stood up, growing steadily closer to each other. With a hint of embarassment, Harry backed up, collapsing back into his spot next to his friends. Edward did the same, taking the seat near the fire, embracing it's calming glow. "It's a long story."

And so began the hushed conversation of where the brothers had come from. Since their arrival, Harry had wondered just where they'd learned their skills. It was obvious that the two possessed a great deal of talent, both in actual combat and alchemy, but neither could figure out how and where they'd acquired those skills. And then, there was Hermione's rising suspicion about Edward's younger brother and his rather large suit of armor.

The brother's agreed to sharing their past with them so long as they took them seriously, as they were going to be completely honest with them. "If you won't believe us, then don't bother listening. It's not a simple story to tell." The trio nodded wearily.

"We come from this country called Amestris..." Edward began, covering most of the details about their origin. Some of which the trio, or at least Harry, already knew. The other bits were a complete surprise. The brother's didn't feel the need to share everything, especially the more complex bits about the homunculi and their 'father', or about their actual father and his role in all of the mess they were experiencing back home. "We were facing off against a Homunculi - an artifically created human - who'd gone off the deep end. He'd lost it, and somehow caused me to make a powerful alchemic reaction, sending us both here. I still don't fully understand it, but regardless I have to get us back home."

"Impossible," Hermione breathed, despite the gut feeling that the brothers were telling the truth.

"Believe me or not, I've told you the truth behind our research, which we might just be close to completing if we can ever get back to work," Edward said, his strict tone returning .

"See, we weren't trying to push you away on purpose. We just want to get home," Alphonse said, absentmindedly petting his kitten, a habit he knew he was forming.

"So, you're just going to leave us?" Harry asked, a new feeling sinking in, a small hint of betrayal.

Edwards brow furrowed, "There's something you have to understand, every one of you. We don't belong here, we were never suppose to cross worlds. We have to get back to _our home_, where we are meant to be."

"But what about-"

"Uhhhgg, just shut it, both of you," Hermione snapped, but her tone was playful. She was rubbing at her temples, her eyes closed. "You two are giving me a headache. Let's talk about something else, shall we?" For the moment, Edward and Harry were shocked that Hermione would interrupt them, but Edward was soon grateful at the change in topic, until her next sentence, of course. "So, do you two know what you're dressing up as for Halloween?"

Author Note: Uggggg This chapter was so messy. Honestly, I don't like it much at all.

There was a question or two about why Harry and Ron would be allowed to Hogsmeade so easily. I didn't see the big deal, seeing as how when Harry was eleven, Hagrid took him without any parental or guardian consent. And besides, it's just a fan fiction.

I'm so ready for the stopping point in this so that I can start fresh after the, for lack of a better phrase, big event. My preferred writing style has changed so much sense I first began this fic, and I'm just getting myself into a jumbled mess. I'm sorry if it hasn't been making much sense.

Anyway, next chapter is just a filler and then the final chapter should be after that. I've yet to make up my mind if I am going to start a new fic completely, the sequel, or continue here. Either way, it will be continued, I just don't know if I'll start a new fic or not.

Thanks for reading :) Sorry if this chapter sucked.


	14. Halloween

**AuThOr NoTe: **Sorry for the wait. I've been super busy and lacking ideas.

* * *

Previously~

Edwards brow furrowed, "There's something you have to understand, every one of you. We don't belong here, we were never suppose to cross worlds. We have to get back to _our home_, where we are meant to be."

"But what about-"

"Uhhhgg, just shut it, both of you," Hermione snapped, but her tone was playful. She was rubbing at her temples, her eyes closed. "You two are giving me a headache. Let's talk about something else, shall we?" For the moment, Edward and Harry were shocked that Hermione would interrupt them, but Edward was soon grateful at the change in topic, until her next sentence, of course. "So, do you two know what you're dressing up as for Halloween?"

* * *

"I'm not wearing this," Edward breathed, taking in small bits of air as he attempted to bring down his temper. He felt bitterly defeated, standing in front of the mirror in the boys dorm of the Griffindor common room, Hermione poking around with her wand trying to seam up the loose ends of the costume she'd forced the alchemist into. His hands were clenched at his side and molten gold orbs glared into the young witch's.

"Sorry," Hermione said, pulling in the last of the seams so that it would fit properly. "It's the best I could do on such short notice and I honestly don't see what the problem is, you look just fine." Edward rolled his eyes. The world just loved to mock the hell out of him.

"I look... like-" Edward tried, gritting his teeth to keep him from yelling at the only witch left in the room. Harry and Ron were downstairs, getting something for Alphonse's costume. Ginny was off with Luna somewhere taking care of makeup, and Dean and Thomas had already left. The others were either in the common room or helping with last minute preparations.

"Oh, quit it." Hermione huffed, staring to feel offended. She thought that she was doing a rather good job actually. For once, the blond standing in front of the mirror didn't look like a twelve year old.

_If only I could do something about his hair_...Hermione thought. She pulled out his braid, much to the alchemist's disapproval, and started to work it into a ponytail similar to how Ed sometimes wore it.

As Ed struggled with the witch over his hair he caught another glimpse of himself in the mirror. In a split second, his blood ran cold and that was it, he snapped, "STOP MESSING WITH MY HAIR, HERMIONE. YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK LIKE MY DAMNED, GOOD FOR NOTHING FATHER!"

Hermione flinched back, brush in hand, staring at the blond with confused brown eyes.

"I-I'm sorry?" She stuttered, wondering just what had set him off. She hadn't heard much about his father from when they talked a few days ago. Nor, at any point in time, had she ever seen a picture.

Regardless, it was true. The keen witch had successfully managed to somehow, yet unintentionally, turn Edward Elric into an even more spitting image of his father, despite the wrong century of clothing. Because of Al's obvious restriction in costume, the clever little witch came up with the idea of going almost Medieval, though the older alchemist cringed when he first saw the suit Hermione wanted to put him in. It was definitely not from the same century, yet still had a certain aire to it that reminded him of Hohenheim.

"What's going on in here?" Harry asked, stumbling into the room carrying a few articles of clothing in his hands. The Halloween party was in only two hours, and by the looks of how the two were bickering, they would never get ready in time.

"I look like my damn father!" Edward growled, making a move to sabotage his hair. A failed attempt. Hermione had pulled back his bangs, save for a few strands that still managed to fall out, irritating him immensely. It wasn't even the fact that he looked like a_ fool_ that bothered him. No, he could handle that. It was, instead, the sheer fact that he looked like his fool _of a fathe_r that pissed him off.

Ron made his way into the room after Harry, followed by Alphonse, curious as well to see what all the yelling was about. Harry shrugged.

"Well, mate," Ron said, looking him over. "You do look older, that's for sure."

"I don't think it looks so bad," Alphonse put in, much to Hermione's satisfaction.

"Just let me transmute it!" Edward begged, anything would be better than this. "And fix my hair.."

"No!" Hermione screeched. "This isn't mine to alter, I have to give it back after the party. I can undo the seems just fine, but I can't have you go changing its whole physical make up. Dean would have a heart attack."

"I can _give_ him.." Edward muttered, but the rest was unintelligible.

"Brother, you look just fine," Alphonse stated firmly. They didn't have enough time to mess with their costume even if they could. They boys were expected to arrive early to help set up tables, and the girls still had to get ready themselves.

The elder alchemist was still grumbling and didn't look like he was going to budge.

"I. Look. Like. _HIM," _Edward hissed, pulling at the fabric. He loathed it, every inch of it's tanned being. It was like a fluffed up version of a middle aged suit, though not enough to call it girly, made up mostly of tans and browns.

It was a dark, tanned tunic like vest over a lighter, loose polo that was slightly frayed on the sleeves. He glared at Hermione as she fitted a pair of dark, almost black leather cuffs over his arms. Under the vest was a loose pair of light pants tucked into dark boots.

It was a nightmare.

"And I look like I'm ready to kill someone," Alphonse said, holding up a plastic ball and chain. His metal coating had been tinted magically to a dark, smokey gray, and his light feather replaced with a solid red one. The light material covering Al's front had been replaced with a thick chain mail and layered underneath with a tanned material to match Edwards.

"That's right," Harry said, getting an altogether creepy vibe from Alphonse now. They had done their job well. "If Al's out of character, you can be too. We really need to go."

"Now come on," Alphonse said, grabbing the older, fuming teen from behind. "You'll be fine. It's just for one night and you're going to look like him one day anyway. You might as well get use to it early."

The older boy paled again.

.

.

Edward Elric tried his best to hide behind his younger brother's overly large suit of armor. Perhaps it may have even worked if a whole group of first years hadn't taken a sudden interest and came running to inspect the, 'metal monster costume.'

"Shove off, you damn brats," Edward hissed. His foul mood only seemed to reflect his word choice as he shooed the younger students. A few whined as they were dragged away by their friends through a different part of the corridor.

Alphonse glared as his older brother. "You don't have to be so mean."

"I'm just practicing for the future, Little Brother," Edward retorted sarcastically. The rest of the walk down to the first floor was a silent one.

As they walked into what was once the Great Hall, none of the boys could say they were unimpressed. The groups in charge of turning the dining area into a haunted mansion like theme, mostly the older witches, had done an excellent job. They had the entire layout set to display different scenes.

Towards the very back of the hall where food would be served was the scene of a parlor like space. The ceiling above that area showed paneled wood covered with cobwebs and what may or may not have been blood. No one dared to ask. There were couches set against fake walls and a band was set across from where the food would be served.

The ceiling above the entrance looked as it normally did, reflecting the night sky if maybe just a bit more dramatic for the occasion. More so than that, everything that was suppose to represent "outside" looked a little... grassy.

Edward guessed the floor had been charmed, probably by Hermione, to take the appearance of grass outside of the main haunted mansion illusion.

"It looks amazing," Harry commented, pulling out his wand from it's new resting place on the inside of his costume. For the first time, Edward realized what he was wearing and had to struggle to keep from falling to the floor in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

Harry and Ron had the brilliant idea of dressing as what he assumed was suppose to be a werewolf. From his spot next to him, they looked more like stray puppies. He supposed some of the girls may have called it adorable, but the elder teen just passed it off as ridiculously funny. Ed wondered if it was Ginny that had the bright idea of putting eye liner on the two best friends, and decided that if it was, he would have to thank her later.

"Yeah," Ron agreed, and took off to find McGonagall. Edward and Alphonse followed, the contrast between the brothers and best friends was nearly jaw dropping.

"So, remind me again why we need to help with setting the tables. Don't you normally just rely on magic," Edward mused, finally distracting himself from the ranting that was still whispering in the back of his mind.

"Yeah," Harry affirmed. "Still, more than one wand makes for steadier magic and less injuries."

"I see," Edward said, trying to understand the boys logic. If they'd just put their backs into it, they could avoid that scenario altogether. However, then they would probably just pull something or other.

"Look, I see Neville," Alphonse said, pointing towards the tall boy with a mop of brown hair. They made their way over and Harry assisted with the table the boy was currently trying to move across the room. It dangled in the air, passing within mere inches of hitting Edward, and then was carefully put down in the proper place. The chairs came next...

"I'm just going to _grab_ some..." Edward muttered, getting clear out of the way from both the flying chairs and wizards with wands.

"I'll help, Brother." Alphonse said, and followed close in step behind his brother. Sure, the two had wands, but that didn't mean they enjoyed using him. More so than that, Edward caught a glimpse of himself trying to direct one of the chairs through the sky... and crashing it through the nearest window. It would be best for him to just stick to the old fashion way of using his own four limbs.

So what if two were mechanic.

Eventually, all the tables were set up, the original ones being much too large, and fourth years and up began filing in. Ed was more than glad that McGonagall decided to have the younger students party elsewhere. The elder brother could hardly manage the kids in the hall, much less at a party.

"This is truly amazing," Came the soft voice of Luna Lovegood as she abruptly appeared behind the blonde, dressed in what looked like something similar to a silver fairy... but different. "Your costume looks nice as well."

Edward cringed, wondering how he could have possibly missed the younger Ravenclaw sneaking up on him. Weren't the girls still getting ready? It didn't help either that he barely new the girl.

"And that armor does look quite scary," She said, voicing an opinion about Al before skipping away.

"Am I really that scary?" Alphonse asked, looking toward his brother for his honest advice, or so he hoped.

"Terrifying," Edward said flatly, again recalling the mess of a costume he was forced into. "Now, come on and help me move these tables before I get old, lazy, and end up looking even more like our old man," he grumbled.

.

.

"Everyone!" Hermione called, making her way into the Grand Hall, wearing what made her look like an ivory skinned Egyptian, with Ginny and another Gryffindor girl he didn't recognize, who ran off right after seeing a group of Ravenclaw. "Doesn't it look amazing?"

"Sure does," Harry said, looking confused when Hermione and Ginny giggled. He turned to Ron, who was looking just the same.

"Oh, I do love your costumes this year, both of you," Hermione hinted, but still the boys still held that confused expression. Edward grinned, relieved that the attention wasn't focused on himself and his odd looking clothes.

"Cute," Ginny added, "but you've got a little smudge there." The redhead said, and moved to wipe dark spot of off Harry's cheek, the movement setting her layered dress in motion. He flushed, eyes staring down at the ground.

"W-Well..." Harry stuttered, but didn't finish because Ron cut in.

"You're the one who insisted on putting this stuff on us," He said, pointing an accusing finger at his sister, "Not exactly use to wearing it."

"I'd hope not," Hermione breathed, but the comment went unnoticed. She turned boys, "Why don't we go and find where Neville and Dean ran off to?" The others nodded and followed Hermione into the slowly building crowd.

They met up with Dean and Neville, sitting next to each other on a randomly placed bench next to where the food was being served. Dean choked down a fit of laughter when he caught sight of Ed, fearing the look the blond was giving him. Nevile looked up, hardly recognizable under a thick layer of face paint, and smiled at his friends.

"What are you two suppose to be?" Ron asked, looking over Neville with a bit of concern.

"Well," Neville began, standing up so that they could get a full look at what he was wearing. "I'm a scarecrow. My gran sent it, and I didn't have the time to fix something else up..."

Harry joined in Ron's laughter, followed quickly by the Elric brothers, and Hermione scolded them both for being so rude, trying her best to keep a straight face as well. Dean cleared his throat, and everyone looked in his direction. He was still sitting down, but it didn't really take away from the getup he was wearing.

"I don't get it," Ginny said, looking over the dark cloak with mild interest. A crudely made mask was hanging behind him from a string around his neck. Sighing, he stood up, and the cloak flowed all the way down to floor. He put on his mask, a magic spell enchanting the eyes to make them glow red.

"I'm obviously a Death Eater!" Dean said, tone hinting at sarcasm. The golden trio frowned, looking very much unamused, and Ginny gave him a strong punch in the shoulder. "Ouch! What the hell?"

"That's not funny!" Ginny said, Hermione looking like she was ready to explode.

"I don't see how you haven't gotten in trouble for doing something like that!" The bookworm ranted, "If you weren't in my own house I'd tell McGonagall to take away house points."

"Whats a Death Easter?" Edward asked, not understanding one bit. He guessed they were suppose to be offensive, but with a name like Death Eater, he wasn't sure whether to get chills or roll on the floor laughing. I mean, come on.

"You don't know?"

"I wouldn't have asked," Edward replied, annoyed.

"Their Voldemort's followers," Harry growled, and the Elrics swore they saw some of the group flinch at his name. He couldn't understand why.

"Death Eaters?" Edward asked, looking absolutely bored. "Stupid name."

"I agree," Dean said, looking absolutely smug. Edward glared at him.

"I didn't say that I approved. I hope for your sake the real Death Eaters don't find out, or they'll hunt you down for insulting them," Edward said, his words laced with venom.

"And you would know?" Dean retorted, though he still had a nervous glint in his eyes.

"No," It was Alphonse who spoke, "But we have enough experience to make educated guesses." Somewhere within the enchanted sky, lighting crackled, reflecting off of Al's armor. For a split second, he looked absolutely murderous, and nothing more was said openly on the topic. Although, Ron did mutter something under his breath.

"...hope for their sake they don't really look like that."

The group starting chatting again, harmless banter, and Edward sighed. He didn't mind the socialization, but he still had the sinking feeling deep down that was telling him he was just wasting time and getting attached to people he would eventually have to leave. He wondered how Alphonse felt. It was nice for him to have someone besides himself to talk to and actually get along with, but at the same time it would just come to hurt the younger alchemist later.

_And that stupid cat,_ Edward thought, wondering what they would do with it when they figured out a way home. _If_ they figured out a way home. They couldn't take the cat back, too many calculations that they didn't have the time to make. They would have to end up leaving it behind, and Edward just hoped that someone would be willing to take it.

"I'm hungry," Ed said, interrupting Ron's speech about that sport they always talked about, the one Edward never really cared to get involved with. He could handle the magic that surrounded this place enough so that it didn't give him a heart attack around every turn in the old corridors, but there was no chance in hell that he would entrust his life in a broomstick. A flying one no less.

Alphonse chased after his brother, wondering why he wasn't trying to enjoy the party more. Sure, he understood that they weren't exactly use to the social interaction, but he would think that his older brother would at least be enjoying himself a bit more.

"Something wrong, Brother?"

Edward sighed, occupying himself with some of the party food. As much as he hated that magic was involved in getting it up to them, he could not deny that it was amazing.

"Not really, I just feel like we could be doing research right now," Ed said, walking over to collapse onto one of the chairs brought in for this special occasion, albeit he was sitting backwards.

"I think it's good for us to have a break," Alphonse said, "We can get back into our research full force tomorrow morning!" Despite the armor, Edward knew he was grinning, and Alphonse gave his brother a rather enthusiastic thumbs up. Edward smiled, leaning most of his weight against the back of the chair, and sighed. His brother was right, one night away would do them both some good.

"Alright!" Edward said suddenly, scaring a few Hufflepuffs nearby as he stood abruptly with one foot on top the chair, right hand raised in determination. "Let's have some fun!" The blond grinned mischievously.

-.-.-.-.-

The rest of the night flew by, Edward and Alphonse taking turns sneaking around and scaring the living daylights out of fellow party goers. The Golden Trio spent a good portion of their night trying to track them down. It was strangely hard, and they expected to be able to pick the two out of the crowd easily. It wasn't until Edward used Alchemy to continuously tug at the foot of Draco Malfoy and send him off screaming, did Hermione spot the younger boy on the grassy floor laughing hysterically, his younger brother on the verge of falling himself.

"There you are!" she fumed, not having enjoyed wasting the last half hour searching for the two. "What on earth are you doing?"

Sucking in breaths of air between gasp, Edward said, "H-having some f-fun!"

"By doing what, exactly?" Ron asked, before a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him the answer. "Mate, you two aren't behind the scares everyone's been going on about, are you?"

Harry, who found himself grinning as he spotted Malfoy venting to his followers, commented, "Brilliant."

Hermione sighed, "You're all hopeless, but I suppose it's fine on Halloween. A few people even came up to me asking if the pranks were a part of the theme."

"Well, then," Edward said, getting up from the floor and dusting off his costume. "It works out for us both, doesn't it?" He smirked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I suppose it does."

The rest of the night would be an unforgettable one. And with the Elric brothers in charge, it was a miracle that no one was hurt.

.

.

* * *

**AUTHOR NOTE* **I apologize for the wait, but I was having a hard time coming up with more ideas, which would explain this craptastic place to stop. I'm not positive if I will be continuing this after the big event. I've realized that I've got nowhere to go with this after the big event. If it helps makes things any better, I've started two new FMA themed stories that I have planned out much better. One is replacing this one as far as planning and priority is concerned. It's called May Entitle Change. It's another Harry Potter/FMA, but it's centered around the sixth year.

The other is a FMA/Zelda Twilight Princess crossover. The Will of the Wind.

I really am sorry for ending this (I'll try to produce a few more chapters, but after that I'm not sure if I'll be able to write anything else up. I would very much appreciate anyone who gave either of those a try.

Thanks to those who have stuck with this until now. I may continue it to the end, but the odds aren't looking good. I'm thinking after the big event I'll mark it as complete and focus on May Entitle Change.

When I DO complete it - up to the point of the big event - I will most likely be putting this up for story adoption.


	15. The Last Feast

**AuThOr NoTe: **Sorry for the wait... I've been super busy and lacking ideas... I hate this!

* * *

Previously~.

Hermione sighed, "You're all hopeless, but I suppose it's fine on Halloween. A few people even came up to me asking if the pranks were a part of the theme."

"Well, then," Edward said, getting up from the floor and dusting off his costume. "It works out for us both, doesn't it?" He smirked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I suppose it does."

The rest of the night would be an unforgettable one. And with the Elric brothers in charge, it was a miracle that no one was hurt.

* * *

Halloween was nearly a week past, and after a fit of constant studying, the Elrics found themselves once again in Dumbledore's office. Edward was sitting in one of Dumbledore's cushioned chairs, scooted up close to the old man's desk with a book between them. Alphonse was standing just behind his brother, watching the scene expectantly. Dumbledore, his palm resting beneath his chin, gazed steadily at the text before him. There was much to think about.

"So soon...?" Dumbledore's eyes seemed searching, uncertain. There was an edge to his voice that left the Elrics feeling somewhat empty.

The eldest brother sighed and then nodded, closing the book before placing it on his lap. "The sooner the better. The longer we stay here, the harder it's going to be to leave. It would be best if we left before anyone grew too attached to each other." Edward paused to look at his arm. "I'm also not sure how much longer my automail will last without being maintenance by a proper mechanic. More specifically our friend Winry, who I'm sure is both worried sick about me and my brother... and about ready to bust our skulls open with a wrench."

Dumbledore chuckled. "In most ways I do agree, but I can't help but worry about how Harry will fare with the two of you gone." Edward smirked, seeming to read the old man's thoughts. "I can't lie, you two have become quite a valuable asset in this war, an advantage I'm sure would tip the scales greatly."

"I have faith in him and his friends," Edward said seriously. "Those three... there's something in them, their spirit, that's in this fight wholeheartedly. They'll do fine."

"Very well," Dumbledore murmured, mostly convinced. "I have but only one request, if you would so grant it."

Edward frowned and Alphonse shifted beside him, wondering what it was the old man could possibly still want from them. When Edward spoke again, there was an edge of seriousness to his voice, yet it still held an aire(1) of sarcasm. "What is it?"

"All that I ask," Dumbledore began, his tone light, "is that you leave them with one more lesson." The brother's looked somewhat confused. They tried to be thorough with alchemy training, but between the trio's classes and the brothers' research their consistency was far less than to be desired by both parties. Did the old man really think that one more lesson would do Harry Potter and his friends any good. "Just one," he continued, the brothers' listening curiously. "I'll even let you decide what exactly it is that you will teach them."

"One lesson?" Edward mirrored, somewhat shocked at the strangeness of his request, seeing a deeper wish hidden within his words. Dumbledore nodded in response. "You have a deal."

~-.-~

With the high spirits of Halloween slowly being forgotten, a heavy sense of dread began forming in the minds of the Golden Trio, blanketing them like a heavy quilt. Within the few days that followed, they spent their free time having hushed conversations in the Gryffindor common room, trying to come to terms with the feeling that the Elric brothers would soon be returning home, leaving behind nothing more than a sense of emptiness, one they were sure was never meant to be filled in the first place.

They had accepted the fact that Edward and Alphonse didn't belong in their own world. _Their world_, parallel to one that the magical born were never supposed to know existed. Even with the knowledge that magic held nearly no bounds, meeting each new challenge with a spell that could ensure even immortality at the right price - a feat still considered impossible by the Elrics and their version of alchemy - the trio, now more than ever, had trouble wrapping their minds around the truth.

And this was just a small crack in the veil that concealed all of the secrets the brothers held. Yes, the trio were sure they'd only scratched the surface of it. The other parts of their lives, the ones the trio so longed to uncover, were certainly out of their grasp. This curiosity was hard to bite down, almost as much as it was to ignore the hurt, the heartache that was sure to come the moment the Elrics' left this world for their own.

But the trio had to endure that pain, understanding all too well the feelings of the Elric brothers. The homesickness... The need to be with the ones they loved and cared about, of keeping the promise to protect them at all cost. The trio feared the guilt, just as the brothers did, that was sure to follow when they truly felt that those promises would be broken. And they shared that passion, the flame that kept them going, giving them the determination to do everything in their power to make sure that it never happened.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been sitting in front of the fire in the common room for a while now, letting their minds wander until all that was left were questions. Questions of what they would do when the brothers were gone. How they would cope, continue to fight a battle that had grown to feel so foreign these last few months. Questions of what _really_ gave the brothers their drive, their stubbornness and outright will to keep fighting no matter what was put in the way of their goals.

While they sat in silence, Harry wondered what he would do if the same set of events happened to him. What would he do if some powerful force of magic had sent him to Ed's world. Would he try to get back home? Try to go back to the world that demanded so much from him that at times it felt suffocating? Or would he stay and forget about the world he came from, forget his troubles, even if just for a little while.

The answer burned through his mind like fire, bringing thoughts that ripped through him with indecision. _No_, he told himself that he was sure he would do everything in his power to see to it that he made his way back home. He told himself he was sure, even though there was still the lingering presence of uncertainty.

"Come on, Harry."

Hermione's voice brought him back to the present. She was standing over him, forcing herself to hold an encouraging smile. "It's time for supper."

Ron stepped around her, his one track mind the least affected by the brother's decision to leave. "Hermione's right, mate. I'm starving."

Harry sighed, forcing himself up from the comfort of the armchair closest to the fire, the very same one that Ed used only a week or so ago when he explained to the trio why he and his brother's research was so important, why it was that they kept themselves isolated from the rest of Hogwarts... When he told them that their current mission was to find a way home, and that their research was nearly complete.

"Let's go, then," Harry replied, forcing these thoughts away, trying his hardest to replace the mask he'd been wearing for years. The one only a certain few could penetrate, though that was slowly beginning to change. Perhaps Edward was rubbing off on him after all. When he spoke again, Ron and Hermione could sense sarcasm in his tone. "I'm sure neither of you fancy missing the feast because I've gone and dozed off."

Ron couldn't help but smirk, already forgetting about the stiff moment of silence... the invisible weight that was pressing down on them and their thoughts. Harry envied his best friend in that way, not understanding just how he could switch his focus so easily from his own problems to what was happening now in the present.

~*.*~

Edward and Alphonse wandered the halls. It was just before supper, and they were promised a feast by the Headmaster that the eldest didn't plan on skipping. If all went as planned, then tonight would be the last feast that the brothers would attend. It made them both anxious.

"Brother?" Al's tone was soft, hardly loud enough to echo faintly off the hard stone that lined the corridors. Edward looked up at his younger brother, hands buried in his pockets in an attempt to fight away the chill seeping into the castle from stray drafts of air. It was only the first week of November, but the temperature was already in fast decline.

"What is it, Al?" Ed kept his hand in his pockets as he spoke, wishing that he'd transmuted a thicker coat. The one he wore currently, standing out in his trademarked red, was perfect for the unpredictable cycles of weather back in Amestris. It brought warmth on cooler nights, yet it was light enough not to suffocate him in the sun. It did not, however, protect him in any way from the chilly air that seemed to be perfectly at ease within the stone build of Hogwarts.

Al was hesitant, slowing his pace and waiting for the hall to be completely clear before speaking. "Do you really think using this worlds form of a Philosophers stone will be powerful enough to get us home? I mean, we can't be certain, can we?"

Edward sighed, sensing that there had been something on his brother's mind, though not thinking it would be something like this. "My theory is that if we continue to combined our notes with those of Nicholas Flamel's, then the reaction, along with the power of the stone, will be enough to get us through the gate."

"And what if it's not...?"

"We've at least got to try," Ed said, his voice steady, determined. His mind was already made up. He would finish the calculations of the transmutation circle tonight with Al, and then tomorrow, they would use the power of the newly made Philosophers stone to send themselves back home. "Besides, I've helped Dumbledore make a few alterations to the original recipe of the stone. It should enhance it's properties, as well as our own. However..." Ed paused, choosing his words carefully. "... we only have one shot at this. The amount of energy required to power this one transmutation circle would-"

"Hem Hem."

The two alchemist flinched, startled that they hadn't even heard the loud clatter of heels clashing with stone before they heard her voice. They turned, the pink clad woman was mere feet away, tapping her foot impatiently.

Once recollected, Edward's face fell. What now replaced shock was a look that spoke pure insolence, completely indifferent save for the small twitching of his eyebrows. "May we help you?"

"I couldn't help but overhear," Umbridge said, her voice so sickly sweet that threatened to cause Ed to loose his appetite. Pushing that aside, the brothers focused on her words, immediately setting up their defenses. How much had she heard? They couldn't afford to have the toad of the Ministry sniffing around where she didn't belong. "You wouldn't mind telling me what you two are up too, I'm sure."

Ed scoffed, a gesture that had apparently caught the woman off guard. Alphonse stiffened, watching the interactions between the two cautiously, ready to intervene if his older brother managed to put them in an even worse situation that they were already in.

"Our actions are of no concern to you," Edward said mildly, fully aware of his tone. "I assure you, it's simply research."

Umbridge raised an eyebrow. She was a curious witch, after all. She adored research, so long as it was within the benefit of the Ministry of Magic, of course. "Research of _what_ exactly? You said it was powerful, did you not? I want to know more."

Alphonse inwardly sighed, he would leave this argument to his brother after all. He knew well how to deal with overly curious superiors, especially when they were trying to meddle in their business. They dealt with people like her all their lives, and it seemed like no matter which world they were in, they would forever be followed by these types of people, however irritating they were.

"Unfortunately for you, this research implements theories from both Alchemy and transfiguration, merging two very complex aspects of both science and magic into a new, useable field of alchemy..." Edward briefly paused here, correcting his pitch as to make his sudden explanation sound much more complicated that it actually was. "...that would provide alchemist skilled enough to grasp it the ability to create a whole new branch of transmutations, possibly overruling the law of equivalent exchange."

There was another pause, just enough time for the words to sink it to Umbridge's meddlesome mind. When she said nothing, Edward spoke once more. "You see, this is far to complex for your untrained mind to comprehend."

Umbridge stuttered, "Are you... insulting my intelligence? You insubordinate boy!"

Edward raised his hand to interrupt. "I am simply stating that without years of trained experience in the field of alchemy, you would not be able to understand any of my research. It would be gibberish to you. Besides, I hear that you aren't particularity fond of any subject even sparsely related to muggle studies."

The blank expression once again returned to the toad woman's face. "And what, pray tell, does this alchemy of yours have in common with muggle studies? I have witnessed what it can do, do not try and tell me that it isn't magic."

Both brothers deadpanned, the eldest the more visible of the two. "You must not have heard me when I said that alchemy is a _science_."

Alphonse leaned forward, startling Umbridge when he spoke. "It abides by rules of Equivalent Exchange, a set of scientific laws that don't apply any magic at all."

Umbridge sniffed, "I refuse to see how anything related to muggle studies would be more complex than that of magic. If you believe that, Mr. Elric, then you are more naive than I once thought. It's complete nonsense, proof that you simply do not want to share your research with the Ministry of Magic."

"Name any five of the chemical elements." Edward glared at the woman, watching her face twist with confusion. "No, alright, give me the chemical equation for sugar, the compound you seem to use so much of in your tea."

There was another pause, Edward started tapping his foot impatiently. "You have no idea what my brother is talking about," Alphonse said, his tone firm, but light. "And these aren't even scratching the outer layer of the amount of knowledge needed to both understand and successfully use alchemy, much less a combination of both alchemy and transfiguration."

While Umbridge stood there looking dumbfounded, Edward took this opportunity to escape- er, calmly walk away from the woman with purpose. "This has been great, really, but we'll be going now..."

Alphonse looked form Ed to the woman, "Wait for me, Brother!"

~*.*~

By the time the two arrived at the Great Hall, it was already filling with students. Edward walked dutifully towards the Gryffindor table, effectively ignoring the stares and whispers that followed. The rumors and hushed conversations had died down immensely since that first week, but some still managed to resurface, putting the brothers in the center of them all.

It didn't help that the brothers were becoming more and more isolated from the whole of Hogwarts, especially at dinner. Normally at this time, the brothers would be immersed in their studies, a mountain of books on each side with food delivered to Edward by a house elf. With their sudden appearance, the whispers were in full force once again.

"Honestly..." Edward grumbled. "You'd think these people had better things to do than gossip about two people who don't even belong here." He sunk into the bench, sitting across from the twins, who looked mildly surprised to see the two brothers.

Alphonse sat beside his brother, waving intently towards three figures just entering the hall. He smiled at the surprised looks on their faces. Edward ignored them all, chin on his fist as he slumped over and waited on the food.

"Edward, Alphonse!"

Hermione rushed forward, forcing the two behind her quicken their step to keep pace. Ron muttered something about having no need to rush if the food hadn't been served yet. Harry, beside him, smiled widely. He was beginning to worry that he wouldn't see the two at all before they returned to their home world.

"I would have thought you'd skip this meal, too," Harry remarked, directing this towards the eldest of the two as he took a seat next to him and the twins. Ron sat next to George on the other side, and Hermione scooted between Ed and Ginny, who'd just arrived and yelled across the hall for someone to save her a seat.

"Yeah?" Edward scoffed. "Well, if I skipped them all, I'd starve, wouldn't I?" He glanced over to Alphonse, "And Al wouldn't be any better off." He added this merely as cover.

Hermione looked worried, "You mean you haven't been eating all this time?" Her eyes burned with rage, and she was in near hysterics. Alphonse chuckled, blaming female hormones for making her act so much like a mother to them.

"He was only joking, Hermione," Al said, and the small group erupted into laughter. Hermione flushed a deep, crimson red.

"I-I'm..."

Edward smirked, "Don't worry about it."

~.~

Dinner passed slowly. By the time that Dumbledore stood up to the podium, Edward was already twitching in his seat. The old wizard waved his hand just slightly and the whole hall was silenced. Edward glanced up, his eyes begging for the feast to hurry up and begin.

"It is unusual for us to share a feast at this time of the year," he began, and the brothers could see the students nodding their heads in agreement, starting curious conversations and making wild conclusions. "However, it seemed like an appropriate time to bring us all together once more, to reminisce in the memories of the past, and be grateful for all the great opportunities that life has been so kind to give us."

There was a pause. Harry found his self staring down at the wood of the table. Ron's stomach grumbled, and Hermione fought back tears. The brothers were quiet, Edward with an impassive look. "We are also to be appreciative of the friends that we have made, and the family that has grown throughout our time here at Hogwarts. In that sense, this feast is to celebrate our bondage. We have faced many challenges, much loss, but more importantly..." Dumbledore paused once more, his eyes scanning the crowd of students, resting on the Elric brothers. "we have all learned a great deal from each other, and we will continue to come together, inhabiting this school as one body. As we feast tonight, it is not as the four houses of the great founders, but as the _family_ of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

As he finished, the tables filled and the students starting clapping. Most were touched, left with a warm sense of belonging, though a good few found his speech to be a little cheesy. Dumbledore had that way with words, a sense that came with years of experience. However, despite the good spirits escalating around them, the trio, brothers included, felt the whole scene was very depressing.

"Sneaky bastard," Edward muttered. "Knows just what to say to make a person second guess..." Alphonse shot his older brother a dark, disproving look.

"Not everyone is plotting against us, Brother."

"You don't know that."

Alphonse sighed, "Hopeless."

A few moments passed in silence and then suddenly, a pair of fist found themselves making contact with the table. The noise from the impact was enough to make Edward flinch, his eyes glaring at the source of the commotion. George.

"Cheer up, mates!" He all but screamed, causing a few heads from the other tables to turn their way. "I haven't the slightest idea as to what's got you lot looking like a bunch of Gringot's goblin's, but it's upsetting the mood of this magnificent feast!"

"Honestly," Fred chimed in, leaning heavily on his twin, "We haven't had food this good since 'ittle Harry's first year!"

"We're fine," Edward snapped. He wasn't in the mood to amuse the twins tonight. Really, when he thought about it, he wasn't in the mood to be present at dinner at all. It was only going to complicate their plans and make their emotional ties that much harder to cut.

The twins observed the shorter alchemist with raised eyebrows. "He's just tired, that's all," Al quickly tried, but the twins didn't seem to buy it. Neither did the rest of the crew.

"Must be all that time with the books," George reasoned with his brother, who quickly nodded in agreement.

"Too much time, if you ask me, brother," Fred replied, a smirk subtly forming on his lips. Edward already had a bad feeling about where this was going.

"_I _didn't ask you!" Ed's voice went ignored.

"And you know what's the best cure for this sad, sad disease?"

"Oh, here we go," Hermione groaned, just out of earshot of the scheming twins. Ginny listed on with interest.

"Now, what's that Fred?" George continued the banter, Ed resisting the urge to transmute the table into a latch for their mouths.

"A get together for a group of friendlies." Fred latched his arms around both Harry and George, Harry giving the twin a confused look.

"A get together? With games?"

"And song!" Fred affirmed.

"And mischief, too, for sure!" George added. By now the rest of the group had caught on, the Elric brothers suddenly feeling both overwhelmed and uncomfortable. Surely... the twins weren't insisting they have a-

"It's settled then, George. Let's have a party!" Fred finished, leaning across the table to reach for a slice of pumpkin pie. Edward glared in their direction, convinced that the two were indeed demons sent to this world by Truth to make his life all that much harder.

* * *

**Author Note:** Well, I believe that's it for that chapter. Sorry for the abrupt ending and the flip floppiness of it all. I'm trying to finish this, but it's harder than I thought it would be. A few more chapters, I think, and we shall reach the end.

I just want to take the time out to thank all of you who have been following this story. It can't have been easy, I'm sure, especially with my constant change of writing style and plot issues, and especially the lack of consistent updates. Also.. my cheesy attempts at a goodbye speech from Dumbledore. I tried to make it as Dumble-like as possible.

Anyway, I'm glad I've finally been able to get this chapter out. It's just been kind of sitting here... with no adequate end. I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks again for all the reads, favs, follows, and especially your kind words and reviews!

Ja Ne~


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